A job for Mitt Romney

Multimillionaire Mitt Romney clearly doesn’t need a job. He is, after all, one of the “1 percent.” But if President Obama wants to enlist his help in avoiding the fiscal cliff, he could do worse than to approach Romney about replacing Tim Geithner as Treasury secretary.

When you look at the composition of Congress, the incoming one is much the same as the outgoing one; in other words, a recipe for continued gridlock despite the suggestion from House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) that “we’re ready to be led.” Boehner has already ruled out new taxes, so that’s not going to encourage the markets about the chances of a deal anytime soon.

Both Obama and Romney, in their speeches on Tuesday night, talked about unity and bipartisanship in the interests of the nation. Obama reached out to former rival Hillary Clinton, who joined the Cabinet in the first term. He has said he will talk to Romney about working together — so what about offering him a job?

Romney, although lacking a party base, which could diminish his value as a dealmaker in the corridors of Congress, chose House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) as his running mate. Ryan clearly respects Romney, who touted his business skills on the campaign trail. Obama should call Romney’s bluff and put together a “team of rivals” in this time of crisis.

You might think this is a long shot, but much to my surprise I am not alone in this campaign. None other than the New York Daily News has suggested Romney as Treasury secretary. So take off your “Romney for president” buttons and put on your “Romney for Treasury Sec” versions. Let’s see a real America’s Comeback Team.

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