Nobody wants to be vice president

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla, is campaigning hard not to be vice president. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

With Mitt Romney cruising to the nomination, a new race is underway — a race NOT to be his running mate.

You see, the vice presidential race is unique. It’s like an upside down presidential race. No one campaigns for it. They all campaign NOT to get it.

And this time around, no one has campaigned harder not to get it than Senator Marco Rubio.

Marco Rubio is young, catholic, Hispanic, a Tea Partier, unquestionably conservative, and from Florida. He’s perfect.

And yet, last year on Meet The Press he took himself completely out of the running:

“I won’t consider it. I won’t be the vice president.”

But then last week, during a Q&A where he was being the same question:

“Three, four, five, six, seven years from now, if I do a good job as vice president – I’m sorry.”

Major slip up! Because if you want to be vice president, the last thing you do is say so! So Sunday, he goes on CNN to explain:

“I’m not going to even discuss the process anymore. I’m going to respectful of the process he’s put in place,” said Rubio.

Different. But still not a YES, because you never say yes until the moment you’re asked.

But Dave, you say, suppose I really DON’T want to be vice president? Is there any sure-fire way to take myself completely out of the running? Well — you could stand up in public is say your future boss is unqualified. But as Joe Biden found out, sometimes that doesn’t work either.