Ron Kaufman

Longtime members of the Massachusetts Republican Party remembered former state Treasurer Alfred Fondacaro fondly on Thursday for his tireless work for the party.

Fondacaro died on Nov. 28 at 80 years old from complications of pneumonia, according to the Boston Globe's obituary.

"Al was a great guy who had a huge heart," said Ron Kaufman, a veteran Boston GOP strategist who knew Fondacaro well. "He really cared about not just the party, but the country. It sounds hokey but he's that kind of guy."

Fondacaro was a longtime member of the GOP's state committee and served as the state's treasurer. Kaufman, who is also a confidant of former Gov. Mitt Romney, said Forndacaro was a tireless worker for the party.

Former Gov. Mitt Romney at the RNC last week: RNC Photo

 Former Gov. Mitt Romney's speech last week at the Republican National Convention raised eyebrows for the ferocity with which he went after liberals and his call for a return to Reagan conservatism. The speech, combined with a National Journal poll showing that 55 percent of party insiders think Romney is the frontrunner for the nomination in 2012, led several analysts to speculate that Romney is looking to the future.

"His sights are set nationally," said Rob Gray, a GOP strategist that consulted on Romney's 2002 campaign.

Before Romney can run again, he has to figure out what to do in the meantime. There are very few positions that a former candidate can take to stay in the media spotlight in the years between presidential elections.

Several analysts suggested that a perfect opening could present itself to Romney in the next few days: Leading the government rescue of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Former Gov. Mitt Romney (R): Getty ImageBLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- A lot of people talked about Mitt Romney filling out the Republican ticket this year, but, according to a former campaign adviser, Romney was actually betting against himself.

Ron Kaufman, a close friend of Romney's who worked on his aborted presidential campaign, said there was a bet between the two of them over Romney's chances of getting tapped as John McCain's vice presidential nominee.

Kaufman bet the former governor would be on the ticket. Romney said he wouldn't make it.

Watch out, Washington D.C.: Ron Kaufman is admittedly a one-man crime-wave.

It was four years ago yesterday that John Kerry announced his selection of former primary rival John Edwards as the 2004 Democratic vice presidential nominee.

John McCain and Barack Obama are set to spend the week focusing on jobs and the economy, but expect VP speculation to reach a crescendo -- at least as high as it'll get without an announcement itself.

This morning, Bloomberg reporter Heidi Przybyla writes of Romney as "the logical choice," quoting some quotables like Ed Rollins and Ron Kaufman.