Interviewed on Fox yesterday morning, Geraldo Rivera opined that the president-elect should let bygones be bygones and offer the position of secretary of state to Mitt Romney – after receiving a public apology from Romney for all the nasty things Romney said about Trump during the campaign.  Rivera argued that the new administration needs a "moderate" as its top diplomat as opposed to "flamethrowers" like John Bolton, Newt Gingrich, and Rudy Giuliani.  Picking one of them, said Rivera, "would send the wrong message."

A metaphor that describes short-sightedness, "not seeing past the end of one's nose," will need to be adjusted in Rivera's case to read "not seeing past the ends of one's mustache."  Here are some reasons why Rivera is out to lunch.

• Romney is a loser.  He blew it.  He might well have won the election had he shown courage under fire and not let Obama get away with pushing Candy "transcript" Crowley around.  It is absolutely unimaginable that Donald Trump would have put up with such nonsense.  Picking a wimp to lead the State Department would send the wrong message to our adversaries.

• During one of the debates in 2012, Romney said he thought Russia is the top foreign policy challenge for the United States.  Donald Trump does not think that at all.  Trump is not especially concerned about Putin.  Bolton, Gingrich and Giuliani are much closer to Trump's position that we must fight and defeat ISIS as an Iranian proxy.  Doing so requires "flamethrowers," not "moderates."

• There is no doubt at all how Secretaries of State Bolton, Gingrich, and Giuliani would have handled urgent calls for additional security at Benghazi.  On the other hand, it is doubtful that a cautious moderate like Romney would have fared all that much better than Hillary Clinton.

• Trump showed good judgment in picking Mike Pence as his running mate and potential successor in 2020 – should Trump choose not to run again – or in 2024.  Romney's appointment would be a slap in the face, telling Pence he was not Trump's first choice for a successor.  That's no way to treat a man who must work hard with the GOP Senate to get Trump's legislation passed.

• If Trump has his way, the GOP will be overall a much more conservative party going forward than the party of Bush 41 and Bush 43.  Pence is a true conservative and thus the ideal choice to succeed Trump, while Romney would represent a return to a GOP of doubtful allegiance to the values of Ronald Reagan.

• Trump's invitation to meet with NeverTrump Romney led some commentators to speculate that the president-elect wished to do some fence-mending.  That's all well and good, but let's not forget that the folks who turned out by the millions to elect Trump also loudly rejected the "moderate" wing of the GOP.  None of them could have beaten Hillary Clinton, including Romney.

• The secretary of state should be an extension of the president in philosophy as well as character.  Trump is a bold and courageous leader, and that is the type he needs to be in charge of implementing his foreign policy.  Romney is Jeb! 2.0.