Sen. Eric Schmitt’s (R-MO) unsubtle bid for the 2028 vice presidency lasted less than six hours. It lived at the hands of a press even more idiotic than our politicians, and it died by suicide through hubris.

Around 6 a.m., Axios published a puff piece declaring that the senator, who has just three years in the chamber under his belt, is “drawing buzz” as a possible running mate to Vice President JD Vance, the man broadly considered President Donald Trump’s most likely successor. The piece, which describes Schmitt as “trustworthy, intelligent, articulate and a deft political operator,” was notably written not by some autumn intern, but by Axios CEO Jim VandeHei.