NBC NEWS REPORTS ROMNEY'S VICE PRESIDENTIAL CHOICE NARROWED DOWN TO THREE............

NBC News Political Director Chuck Todd and his colleagues are reporting that Mitt Romney's selection of a running mate as his Vice Presidential candidate for the 2012 Republican nomination has come down to three men, Tim Pawlenty, Rob Portman, and Paul Ryan.  Pawlenty, the former two term Governor of Minnesota, was an early contender and first drop out for this year's presidential nomination.  In recent months Pawlenty has been a prominent Romney surrogate.  Portman, a first term Senator from Ohio, who has served in the House of Representatives, and as both the Federal Budget Director and U.S. Trade Representative, in the George W. Bush Administration, has been speculated on as the most likely pick as Romney's running mate for several months.  The announcement and roll out of Governor Romney's choice is expected perhaps as soon as this coming week and certainly before the start of the Republican National Convention on August 27th.  A Romney campaign bus tour through four Swing States begins on Saturday in Vitginia, proceeding to North Carolina, on to Florida, and ending in Ohio.  Of the three prospective candidates for the second spot on the Republican Ticket, Portman is considered the safest and most conventional choice, although his service in the Bush Administration could be a liability.  Pawlenty would bring executive experience from his eight years govwening from a statehouse and has wide appeal among Evangelicals.  Ryan, author of the House Republican Budget Plan, would be a controversial pick for that exact proposal, whose selection makes the Ryan Plan as it is popularly known, a focal point of the General Election campaign.  In the next week and a half whether one of these three possibilities or someone else is Governor Romney's choice for Vice President will be decided............Fr.  Troy