Mitt Romney is the candidate of executive experience. It’s not just that he was a “business guy” for 25 years. He was a business guy who made tough decisions. He told us this often during the primaries. Romney’s key critique of President Obama is that he lacks such experience. In evaluating possible veeps, Romney has said, above all else, he wants to pick someone who can step into the job if necessary. That means Romney’s No. 2 must have the same kind of experience—or at least some of it. Maybe just a hint? A thimble? Marco Rubio, at age 40, has none. (Unless someone counts two years as a part-time city commissioner.)…

You can mount a strong argument that no life experience prepares you for the presidency. Abraham Lincoln, our greatest president, had a relatively thin résumé with zero executive experience. (He had even less legislative experience than Rubio and unlike Rubio never rose to be speaker of his legislature.) Problem: This is not the case that Romney has made. He’s made the opposite case.