A recent Idaho Statesman article painted a picture of federal positions filled by Idahoans should Mitt Romney win his bid for president.

The story penned by Statesman political writer Dan Popkey pointed out that Romney has made seven visits to Idaho in 15 months and has collected $3.2 million from the state's heavily Republican population.

It's no secret that Romney is a good friend of his national campaign co-chair and the CEO of Melaleuca, Frank VanderSloot. Vandersloot contributed $1 million to the super-PAC,“Restore our Future,” which is supporting Romney's Republican run for president. Among VanderSloot's other friends and political beneficiaries is Idaho Superintendent Tom Luna.

Given that the Romney campaign and affiliated super-Pacs have raised $524.2 million so far, according to The New York Times, money from Idahoans shouldn't buy much political favor. However, the bond between VanderSloot, Romney and Luna might.

Luna was the only state-level superintendent picked to be a member of Romney's education advisory team. During the recent Republican National Convention Luna and Gov. Butch Otter received kudos from former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

“Idaho’s Gov. Otter and Superintendent Luna are raising up the best teachers and separating out the ineffective ones,” Bush said during his speech at the RNC. “That earned some enemies. Some of them slashed the superintendent’s tires. But he didn’t back down.”

With enough Idahoans pushing to put Luna's “Students Come First” legislation on a referendum ballot this fall, there is some debate about whether his public schools overhaul separates the wheat from the chaff or simply chafes Idaho teachers and students. Voters will decide.

And the Bush crack about slashed tires makes a huge leap. Police have never determined who spray-painted Luna's truck and flattened its tires outside his Nampa home when the controversial school reforms were being debated in the Idaho Legislature.

Of course political conventions are filled with theatrics at the expense of truth.

Holding up Luna and Otter as heros worked for the crowd in Tampa, Fla.

More than that, it may be working its way into discussions about potential Romney appointments – if Romney wins.

Popkey reported that rumors put Luna in discussions as a possible U.S. secretary of education. It might be a temporary slot because Republicans are fond of targeting the federal education department for elimination.

And if Luna takes his vision for public education to Washington, it's likely functions of the U.S. Department of Education would be outsourced to private corporations or offered on-line only.

Many find it odd that Idaho voters determined Luna was qualified to head a state education department, given the fact he has no university degrees in education and no public classroom experience. Having Luna in charge of national education programs seems like the ultimate application of the Peter Principle.

It would be a case of “it's not what you know, but who you know” gone wild.

And if promoting Luna to a top federal position seems strange, Popkey's story provided the bookend of unbelievability when he said Otter's name was coming up as a possible U.S. Secretary of the Interior.

“I’ve not spoken to him about it, but you hear other people say Butch Otter would make a great secretary of Interior,” Debbie Field, Otter's gubernatorial campaign manager, told the Stateman's reporter.

Given the fact Otter has often criticized federal ownership of national forests and Bureau of Land Management land in Idaho – not to mention his total disdain for wolves – putting him in charge of the stewardship of national property would only be popular with grazers, miners, loggers and wolf-haters.

There would be little food for moderates in a federal leadership menu that features Luna and Otter as entrees. So if they are serious contenders, Romney will likely serve up the surprises only if he gets elected.