Chris Wallace is the consummate journalist and asks the hard questions. Rarely is he boxed in by one of his guests. That was not the case today on FOX News Sunday when the straight forward Wallace hosted Marco Rubio (R) Florida on his program. To his credit Wallace did not mince words as the competition often does so they may elicit a particular ideological slant, but rather he sparred with Rubio on everything from gay rights to the Vice Presidential rumor mill, and the results left me little if any doubt about the answer to the VP question.

Rubio is an engaging and articulate family man and politician. He is bright beyond his years and frankly sounded more like a VP than the VP himself. He has wowed all corners of the Washington talk circuit and done his homework on foreign policy, while continuing to engage the Senate on matters concerning his constituency. He is not afraid to drive a reporter’s line of questioning and turn it in the direction “he” feels it should go, but does so with the respect and politeness of a man who has obviously been properly raised. I was impressed with his candor and grasp of the issues, particularly when Wallace pressed him on the question of the “Hispanic vote”, and whether or not Romney can win without improving his current standing in that demographic. Rubio explained that to perceive or assume the “Hispanic vote” is centralized in some way, or predisposed to a particular “carrot” or message, would be a mistake on the part of any party. He went on to remind Wallace of the diversity within that vote and how Romney has only just begun to make his case.

At the end of the interview Rubio explained, in the most impressive and understandable way I have heard yet, the case for school and service visa’s for young people who are in this country illegally through no fault of their own. He emphasized that the incomplete legislation he is considering would not be amnesty, but rather would require those same young people in college or the Armed Services, to eventually take the path to citizenship as currently outlined by federal law without exception. He made his case with the passion of a true and focused representative of the American people, not someone pandering with the intent to divide, (like maybe the POTUS?)

I’ve been considering the many VP choices Mitt Romney has for some time now, and have  arrived at the following conclusion. While anyone would be an improvement over the current vernacularly challenged Joe Biden, Marco Rubio would not only be a fine choice for VP, but an extraordinary one at that. (Romney – Rubio 2012)