No shocker in store: Romney veep search under way [View all]

[Omaha Steve]

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Source: AP-Excite

STEVE PEOPLES and KASIE HUNT

BOSTON (AP) - Don't look for a vice presidential shocker from Mitt Romney. His choice of a running-mate - a search he announced Monday he has begun - will be guided by both his methodical, risk-averse corporate training and the lessons his party learned from Sarah Palin's selection.

Preparedness to serve and loyalty to Romney are likely to trump other credentials as the all-but-sure Republican nominee looks to avoid the blowback John McCain faced four years ago with his surprise choice of the little-known, first-term Alaska governor for the GOP ticket. Questions about Palin's readiness to serve, McCain's decision-making and his advisers' vetting came to define the Arizona senator's flawed campaign.

Mindful of that, Romney will put experience at the top of his list of qualities as he chooses a No. 2, according to senior advisers and GOP operatives familiar with his thinking. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak candidly about a process Romney himself is trying to keep as private as possible as he works to narrow a field that may begin with as many as a dozen prospective candidates.

"The hallmark for Governor Romney's candidacy, and how he would be as president, is that he approaches these decisions in a well-thought-out methodical way," said Steve Duprey, a former McCain adviser and current New Hampshire-based member of the Republican National Committee. "It won't be like the McCain campaign where there was a big surprise and effort to create a game changer."



Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20120416/D9U693FG2.html

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In this March 29, 2012 file photo, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks in Manchester, N.J. Days into his new role as presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Mitt Romney has initiated a months-long search for a running mate, an effort to be guided as much by his methodical corporate-based approach as the shadows of Sarah Palin. (AP Photo/Mel Evans, File)