Mitt Romney is expected to announce his running mate in the next few weeks. Here are five attributes that an ideal Romney running mate would have.

1. Fight. Call it aggressiveness, spirit, spunk, fight; Romney lacks it. He has ambition in spades, but he is terribly risk averse. He prefers to play it safe, which means he spends far too much time playing defense, reacting to the other guy's aggression. He will make hard-hitting TV ads, but personally he does not relish the fight. He needs a running mate who does. He needs a partner who will aggressively go after Obama and not wait to be attacked.

2. Charm. Romney is handsome, accomplished, smart, and unquestionably capable. But he is as charming as a mackerel. A live one, to be sure, but still. His running mate needs to have enough warmth so that when the two of them are in a room alone, an alien probe scanning the building for life would detect the radiated heat of two adult human beings. With some of the people Romney reportedly is rumored to be considering, I'm no so sure the aliens would reach that conclusion. Obviously, Romney doesn't want his VP to completely overshadow him. But he or she should be able to make genuinely warm human connections over television (yes, I realize how that sounds) that give people a positive emotional reaction to the ticket.

3. Articulateness. One of Romney's great weaknesses is his difficulty explaining his ideas, policies and self in layman's terms. The best Romney running mate would be able to articulate the ticket's vision with clarity and wit. Romney too often sounds like he is reading talking points, even if he is making points he really believes. A running mate who can talk about policy in heartfelt terms, not in rehearsed sound bites, would be a great asset to the campaign.

4. A moving personal story. Romney has an impressive personal history, but it is not one that resonates well with your average voter. He didn't start a business in his garage and build it into a household name. He brought together a bunch of smart investors who put their money into businesses that other people started in their garages and built into household names. That is impressive, but it is not a story people grasp intuitively and nod their heads with understanding when hearing. A running mate with a strong personal narrative that resonates with people and takes the sting from the "Romney's out-of-touch" charge would help the campaign better connect with people who have a hard time connecting with Romney.

5. Base credentials. If this election hinges on turnout, Romney will help himself tremendously if he picks a running mate who excites the conservative base of the Republican Party. The base is not enthusiastic about Romney. If conservatives were not so eager to beat Obama, there would be little energy at all on Romney's side. A running mate with real conservative street cred won't make everyone on the right (*Ron Paul die hards*) rally behind Romney, but it could help in a close election, which this looks like it will be. But is Romney too risk averse to pick a bona fide conservative?

Romney could get a good running mate who does not match all five of those attributes. But one who does would be a very strong addition to the Romney team. Who would that person be?

Combine all of those attributes, and I think the running mate choice is obvious. John H. Sununu.

Of course I kid.

It's obviously Clint Eastwood.