Could Mitt fit in a McCain Cabinet?

Let the Mitt Romney speculation begin again.

While John McCain did not choose him as his vice presidential running mate as had been speculated widely, Romney is now seen at least as a potential top choice for a Cabinet position — as secretary of homeland security.

That is according to Congressional Quarterly, a news service that covers Washington politics.

CQ said on Monday that its reporters "asked an array of the best congressional, political, academic and lobbying sources on their beats whom they view as the likeliest Cabinet members" and listed the top three most likely contenders for each Cabinet position for both McCain and Barack Obama.

Romney was listed among the most likely nominees by McCain for secretary of homeland security. Romney was the only person with close Utah ties who was listed as a likely Cabinet member for either McCain or Obama.

About Romney, CQ said, "Romney's extensive managerial experience makes him a viable option for trying to improve collaboration and communication among the department's 22 disparate agencies."

It noted, "He began his career as a management consultant and then spent 14 years running Bain Capital, a private equity investment firm. He then served as CEO of the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics and led its unprecedented security operations only a few months after the Sept. 11 attacks."

CQ added, "He would also bring the political and organizing skills of a presidential campaign and his executive experience as governor of Massachusetts from 2003 through 2006."

Of interest, Romney was in Washington, D.C., during the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to lobby, appropriately, for more money for security at the Olympics. He originally had scheduled a meeting in New York City the afternoon of 9/11 with New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. That meeting, obviously, was canceled. (Giuliani, by the way, is seen by CQ as a top possibility as attorney general for McCain.)

Eric Fehrnstrom, spokesman for Romney, said Monday about the new speculation, "It's very flattering, but Mitt Romney is not interested in a Cabinet post. He plans on cheering for the McCain administration from the sidelines."

CQ said the other two top contenders for a McCain homeland security secretary include Frank Keating, former governor of Oklahoma who held top Justice and Treasury jobs that oversaw the Secret Service, the Customs Service and Immigration and Naturalization; and Robert C. Bonner, former head of the Drug Enforcement Administration and a former federal prosecutor and federal judge.

If Obama were elected, CQ sees his top Homeland Security choices as James Lee Witt, former director of the Federal Emergency Management Administration during the Clinton administration; New York City Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly; and Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano.

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