As with much of what revolves around the former and possibly future president Donald Trump, the selection of his running mate this year is looking like a circus.
About a dozen possibilities are fawning over Trump, competing for airtime to sing his praises on national television — all in hopes that they will get the nod to join his effort to retake the White House.
A few of the Republican vice presidential hopefuls have been former opponents of Trump, some of them belittled by him as well. The prospect, however, of being a banana-peel slip away from the presidency can apparently produce amnesia.
Trump eats up the adoration, no matter how feigned it might be. The longer he drags out his decision, the more of the ring-kissing he can command.
Should Trump retake the presidency, his running mate could be a busy person, especially if Trump is convicted in the hush-money case in New York. A prison sentence there would not disqualify him from the presidency, but it might keep him away from state dinners and travels abroad.
Whoever Trump picks for a sidekick will be making a Faustian bargain, trading dignity and self-respect for supposed fame and power. Mike Pence can tell them how well that trade worked out.
