I'm so surprised how cordial it has remained between Romney and Paul - they never really go after each other. A great mystery.
I think it's fairly clear that Paul sees Romney as the best of the bad candidates (other than himself). Plus, malleability makes him more open to the libertarian wing's influence than the socons would be.
This. And would anybody be truly shocked if Romney chose Rand Paul, the only Tea Party candidate of 2010 to win a US Senate seat, as his running mate?
I agree completely. For Romney to beat Obama, he needs the Paul vote. Rand Paul as his running mate won't get all of them, but it's the best chance he has to get them.
