Clues to the Romney Veepstakes

The Romney Bus Tour starts soon, and GOP convention speakers have also been announced. So what does it all mean? Which lucky Republican will get the call to stand behind the most confused and conflicted presidential candidate in the history of America?  Whoever you are, be prepared to eat doughnut-thingies and talk to real people - Mitt needs you because he can't do it!

MSNBC First Read

The Romney campaign today officially announced its swing-state bus tour beginning Saturday. It will start in Virginia; then head to North Carolina Sunday, the day the Olympics conclude; Florida Monday, Aug. 13; and end in Ohio Tuesday, Aug. 14.

Potential vice-presidential picks will be making appearances.
NBC's Alex Moe reports that Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R-VA) will join Romney on the first leg of the tour in Virginia.

NBC's Andrew Rafferty reports that Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), a veep front runner, will join Romney in Ohio.

. . . It's possible a Romney vice-presidential pick is made on the bus tour, but it's also possible that it is designed to create buzz and excitement around the campaign and a VP selection is announced after it.

Washington Post: Convention Speakers Narrow List

. . . at least four people once thought to be under consideration for the No. 2 spot will speak at this month’s Republican National Convention — all but ruling them out of contention for the vice presidential slot.

The Republican National Committee announced that former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez are among those expected to address the Aug. 27-30 convention in Tampa.
That still leaves a number of presumed contenders — including former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty, Sen. Rob Portman (Ohio), House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (Wis.), Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie — in the mix.

Whether he has made any decisions about a running mate — or the timing of a rollout — is unclear. His wife, Ann, remains in London to watch her dressage horse compete in the Olympics. The horse, Rafalca, will participate in the Grand Prix Special round on Tuesday morning (5:45 a.m. Eastern time) — her final opportunity to help the U.S. team win a medal. It’s also her chance to qualify for the final individual medal round on Thursday. Republicans widely assume that Romney will wait until his wife returns home to announce his vice presidential choice, making next week seem like a logical time.

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Happy Place Diversion: Droll Olympic Announcer

This announcer's delivery deserves a Gold Medal, LOL.

Snark in Pictures

John Stewart Critiques Romney in London

LOL ~ Romney will wake up someday and wonder why he didn't have someone who would tell him the truth on this trip. Maybe then he wouldn't have trashed the London Olympics and offended our closest ally.

The Daily Show
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London Olympics Tribute to National Health Care

The opening ceremony of the London Olympics is an extravaganza par excellence - you've got to see it!!! It was everything I hoped it would be, eccentric, trippy, colorful, historical - all of it, from the Shakespearean reference to "The Tempest," to the Queen arriving with James Bond, to the flights along the Thames and all the little hat-tips to Pink Floyd, Monty Python, Harry Potter, Mr. Bean, Mary Poppins, Peter Pan, and of course, the Beatles.

We enjoyed every minute of it, but especially the democratic aspect, the idea that everyone got to participate even in a small way, which is the brainchild of designer Danny Boyle. In an interview following the ceremony he told Meredith Vieira of NBC that he loved the idea of the Olympic Torch being carried past the very people who built the Olympic arena, which is built on the once-wasteland of East London. And indeed, an Olympian ran with the torch past rows of ordinary people in hard hats, connecting them to what they had built, and as he put it, connecting them to the Queen herself.

But the heart of the whole show for me, and the part which really shamed the U.S. was Boyle's spectacular tribute to the National Health system in the UK, which rendered me speechless for a few minutes. It was all about doctors and nurses protecting children from their worst fears and nightmares, symbolized by literary characters such as Voldemort, Captain Hook, the Child Stealer from Chitty-Chitty Bang Bang, and the Red Queen from Alice in Wonderland. When I recovered my senses, I assured my own children that they will probably never see such an outpouring of creativity to celebrate a social program in the United States, more's the pity.



I hope that most Americans were watching and got an eyeful, especially everyone in Congress or the Senate who voted against President Obama's healthcare plan, everyone who held hysterical prayer groups on Facebook in hopes the Supreme Court would strike it down, and every member of that Court who wanted to trash our only safety net for the uninsured. Our flawed system in such a rich country is the shame of the world, and while Britain's health plan may not be perfect, most people there have grown up with it and never had to choose between buying glasses or going to the dentist, between buying food and buying medicine. No one suffers because they don't have insurance - everyone has it!

Because of National Health, the Brits have a different reality than we have in the United States, and it made me think that instead of scary literary characters, we have scary lawmakers and judges who don't care whether children are protected. Mitt Romney was in the audience watching, and I hope the words "repeal Obamacare" were ringing in his ears.



Director's Tribute to "Amazing" NHS

More than 600 real-life nurses and other healthcare workers joined Boyle's army of volunteers during the extravaganza.

. . . Boyle said: "One of the reasons we put the NHS in the show is that everyone is aware of how important the NHS is to everybody in this country. We believe, as a nation, in universal healthcare. It doesn't matter how poor you are, how rich you are, you will get treated.

"One of the core values of our society is that it doesn't matter who you are, you will get treated the same in terms of healthcare. We all end up there. You can be in all these private hospitals - if anything serious happens to you, you are in the NHS. And that felt like something that we thought was a great thing to celebrate.

"We are almost unique in having universal healthcare. It is something that is very dear to people's hearts. All types of government fight like billy-o, to control it, to cut it, to deal with it. But there is something about it - it is so embedded in us that we have decided to keep it. It is an amazing thing to celebrate."

Boyle said that the volunteers who came from the NHS were "proud people", adding: "They work for something that they truly, truly believe in. We're delighted to add to that by saluting them. All of the volunteers have made a special sacrifice to be with us but these guys are extraordinary.



"They turn up after shifts - you know what they are dealing with every day, they are dealing with mortality and sick children - yet they turn up and they have made it absolutely amazing."

. . . Lottie Pink, from Kingston, south west London, was one of the patients from the hospital who took part in the show. The 10-year-old was treated for a brain tumour two years ago and returns to the hospital every few months for check-ups.

She said: "I am proud to represent all the great work the hospital does. Without them, I would not be here.

Michelle Obama at the London Olympics

Now this is how to arrive at the Olympics and be diplomatic and encouraging to our allies. Got that, Mitt?

From the Evening Standard

As a lesson in good natured statesmanship - if not to say simple manners - it was a masterclass.
For Michelle Obama cast aside stuffy protocol to join in the fun and games to celebrate today’s opening of the Olympic games with more than 1,000 children.

The First Lady met the children - most of them from U.S. military families - in the grounds of Winfield House, the official residence of the U.S. ambassador in London.

She was joined by David Beckham and Olympic gold-medal sprinter Carl Lewis who signed autographs.

She said: “I’m so excited,” after jogging to the stage as a marching band played the University of Florida fight song.
“I am thrilled to be here on London for the 2012 Olympic games. I am proud to be leading the U.S. delegation to the opening ceremony.”

Mrs Obama, who later tried out sports including tug-of-war and football alongside the children, offered a tribute to military families who had been invited to take part in the event.