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, Virginia.

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 US of America, Joe Biden."

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