Fresh off his underwhelming multi-million dollar victory in the Iowa straw poll Saturday, Mitt Romney's campaign is once again being dogged by, well, dogs. Appearing on Fox News with Chris Wallace, Romney was forced to once again defend his past penchant for rooftop canine waterboarding. At least Romney can take comfort in the availability of the perfect running mate for his White House run: Michael Vick.

Given the universe of Romney's failings, Fox host Wallace took Mitt to task for taking family vacations with his Irish Setter Seamus in a kennel tied to the roof of his car. After an incredulous Wallace said of his own Yellow Lab, "I would no sooner put him in a kennel on the roof of my car than I would one of my children," Romney claimed ignorance of the Massachusetts law he had violated:

"I wasn't familiar with that in terms of Massachusetts law. Love my dog. We've had a lot of dogs over the years. Love them. Seamus, as his name is, climbed up there all by himself, enjoyed his ride, and whether you're in the back of a pickup truck or in the rooftop carrier, it was a good ride. And all I can tell you is I didn't know that there was any problem with that in terms of the law. And he was a good friend of the family. We love our pets."

All of which puts Mitt Romney in good company with the indicted dog fighting impresario, Michael Vick. Vick, the Atlanta Falcons star quarterback, was indicted on July 17th on charges he used his property to train and fight pit bulls. In April, Vick denied any involvement in the case involving his cousin, claiming he too was ignorant of any criminality:

"I'm never there. I'm never at the house. I left the house with my family members and my cousin. They just haven't been doing the right thing."

On July 30, Vick in his first public interview proclaimed not only innocence, but that he was a man of faith:

"It's a crisis situation for me, but I'm going to get through it and I feel, by the grace of God, that's the only way. I believe in the outcome at the end, and that's why I put my faith in the man upstairs."

Which makes Michael Vick the ideal running mate for Romney. In 2006, Romney told Fox News, "People in this country want a person of faith to lead them as their president." Their compatibility doesn't end there. While Michael Vick can play almost any position, Mitt Romney can hold almost any position (and probably has). In addition, Vick enjoys the support of the NAACP, which could help Romney rebuild bridges with the organization after he (along with virtually every GOP candidate) snubbed their annual meeting. Best of all, both Romney and Vick have both been targeted for retribution by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), one of the favorite bogeymen of conservative Republican primary voters.
Given all the barking over his surprisingly narrow margin of victory in Iowa yesterday, Mitt Romney will have to scramble to win the Republican nomination. Which is why it's time for "Romney-Vick '08."