Mike Pompeo supposes America wants merit, integrity, and smarts in its president and thus he would be a good choice. He’s wrong. Americans want a celebrity who makes good copy or a PC-approved politician who can convince voters he or she is not as leftist as they really are. Oh, to update that, I guess long in the tooth fools who are not Donald Trump qualify too. All of which leaves an actual experienced leader like Mike Pompeo out of the running soon after New Hampshire.

FNC: “Donald Trump might not be the only one with an eye on 2024. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo heads to Iowa next week to advocate on behalf of conservatives. The trip by Pompeo, the former congressman from Kansas who served as CIA director in the Trump administration before becoming America’s top diplomat, will be the first in-person visit by a potential 2024 GOP White House hopeful to one of the early voting states in the presidential nominating calendar. Pompeo, who wasn’t shy during recent Fox News interviews about teasing his possible national aspirations, appeared to fan the flames a bit more Friday, tweeting: ‘1,327 days.’ That is the next presidential election day. Pompeo’s trip includes a stop at the Westside Conservative Club in Urbandale on Friday morning.”

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Senators Rick Scott of Florida and Tim Scott of South Carolina head to Iowa next month to star in state GOP events. R. Scott will be in Cedar Rapids on April 1 for an event.  Tim Scott will speak at an Iowa GOP gathering in Davenport on April 15. R. Scott doesn’t look the part and T. Scott would be perfect.

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“I think the elephant in the room is obviously Donald Trump,” GOP pollster Neil Newhouse recently told press. “If the election were held today and if he wants the nomination, he’d be the odds-on favorite…Potential 2024 candidates don’t want to talk about Donald Trump. They want to talk about themselves. But so long as he is making noises about running again, the race will be all about him. And these candidates will be less inclined to do the early state travel because it will all be in the shadow of whether or not Trump runs again.”

“I have probably had more interest in our regional events than I have had the previous two presidential cycles that I have been the chair,” said Iowa GOP chair Jeff Kaufmann. I would say there’s a lot more interest here than meets the eye. I’m not toying with you. Stay tuned.”