Can we please

[Fuzzy Bear]

Portman is viable, as he comes from Ohio, and is sufficiently conservative on everything else.  Gay Marriage is not something the President is going to do much to either advance or stop it.  

McMorris Rodgers' problem is that she is merely a Representative; she's not a Governor or Senator.  She's also a religious fundamentalist, and a graduate of a strict fundamentalist college as her undergrad alma mater, and while I'm OK with that, I wonder how much of America will be.  If their goal was to broaden their share of the female vote, I don't know that this is the way to go.
She also has a position as Chair of the House Republican Conference that is kind of ceremonial; it's not the kind of thing that really adds to your Presidential qualifications.

Thune's value is that he's a safe, photogenic pick, who seems more than an empty suit.  He's a "do no harm" kind of pick who would certainly be replaced by another Republican, something a GOP Presidential candidate would think about on the GOVERNING end of things.

But any of these candidates could be selected.  They are the kind of people that are normally selected as VP candidates.