It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like...Marco Rubio

A lot of smart people I follow on Twitter are convinced that Marco Rubio will be the VP nominee, regardless of his protestations otherwise.  Jim Geraghty has this:

It's a little amusing to watch Mitt Romney and Marco Rubio feign incredulity about running-mate selection, because when you bring a guy whom many conservatives adore from one swing state to campaign in another swing state, well, as they say on ESPN, come on, man. The Hill:

Mitt Romney told reporters Monday that "the process for selecting a vice presidential running mate is just beginning" and there was no short list of candidates. 

He made the remarks while standing alongside Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who's considered to be a favorite to be added to the Republican ticket. 

"We really haven't had a discussion yet of putting together a list or evaluating various candidates," Romney said.

He made the remarks in his first press availability since he became the presumptive GOP nominee.

The former Massachusetts governor said that his campaign team along with adviser Beth Meyers -- who last week was put in charge of the search -- were spending time hiring law and financial firms to do a through vetting of the potential candidates.

And while Romney's appearance with Rubio in Philadelphia on Monday was widely thought to be a vice presidential audition, neither man was willing to openly acknowledge that prospect.

"I'm not talking about that process anymore," Rubio told reporters. The Florida senator has previously denied interest in the position.

There are certainly some mixed feelings about Rubio. He's only been a senator for less than two years, but of course that didn't stop Obama from running for president. There's no question that he's probably the guy the Dems fear most because he undermines their support with Hispanics, he probably locks up Florida (a state Obama won in '08), and helps the ticket in New Mexico, Colorado and Nevada. My theory is he will also give Obama some heartburn in California, and although he won't win the state, he could make Obama spend some money here.

Is Rubio ready for the type of scrutiny he's likely to get?  He seems pretty cool so far, but things will get pretty ugly once he's the nominee.