Romney: Ryan is ‘next president of the United States’

Perhaps channeling the fervent wishes of conservatives, Mitt Romney on Saturday introduced running mate Paul Ryan as "the next president of the United States." UPDATE: This may actually be a very, very good omen for the Republican ticket.

"I would like you to join me in welcoming the next president of the United States, Paul Ryan!" Romney told a fired-up crowd in Norfolk, Va.

As Ryan took the stage to cheers and flag-waving, and settled in behind the podium for the biggest speech of his political life, Romney came back to make things right.

"Every now and then I'm known to make a mistake," he said, to huge laughs from the supportive audience. "I did not make a mistake with this guy. But I can tell you this, he's going to be the next vice president of the United States."

So why is this minor but very high-profile flub good news for the Romney-Ryan ticket? Because, four years ago, here is what Barack Obama said: "So let me introduce to you the next president--the next vice president of the U.S. of America, Joe Biden."

Biden, not to be outdone, referred to his future boss as "Barack America."