The race to become the Republican vice-presidential candidate seemed hopelessly deadlocked today as Mitt Romney announced he would choose between former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, Ohio Senator Rob Portman, and Wisconsin congressman Paul Ryan as soon as I can tell them apart. An aide to the former Massachusetts governor acknowledged that after weeks of vetting, meetings, and even joint public appearances with the three men, they have totally blended together for him. Mr. Romneys inability to distinguish Pawlenty from Portman, Portman from Ryan, and Ryan from Pawlenty may have its origins, the aide said, in the prerequisites that the vice-presidential search committee was originally given. We were told to find a white male who was less interesting than Mitt, he said.And we thought we hit the jackpot with these three. Then this telling-them-apart-from-each-other problem cropped up. I can tell you, its a big mess. Face-to-face meetings between Mr. Romney and the three men on his shortlist have done nothing to ameliorate the problem, the aide said, because when each of these guys talks to him he starts losing consciousness. The campaign has even resorted to creating flashcards with the likenesses of Messrs. Pawlenty, Ryan, and Portman on one side and their names on the back, but to no avail. Its gotten so frustrating, last night Mitt suggested that maybe we should choose someone who wasnt white or male, the aide said. He was kidding, of course, but that gives you an idea of how desperate things are. 