From a Mitt Romney fan...

The Romney campaign had a great weekend, and I want to be sure to share the news with you.  First, on Saturday, we won the Ames, Iowa Straw Poll with 31.5% of the vote, a greater percentage than George W. Bush received in 1999.

Also, this just in … the American Research Group released their latest nationwide poll this afternoon. 16% support Governor Romney, up 6 points from 10% last month. Here are the full results:

	Jul.	Aug.	Jul./Aug. Change
Giuliani	30%	27%	-3
Gov. Romney	10%	16%	+6
F. Thompson	17%	16%	-1
McCain	14%	13%	-1
Other	16%	15%	-1
Undecided	11%	14%	+3

 

Wow - a 6 point pick up in 30 days nationally.  

 

  Best Regards, david

 

P.S. By the way, the Giuliani camp has tried to diminish Mitt's victory in Iowa by saying Rudy chose to not participate.  Three quick points:

 

1. Giuliani was on the ballot, people could have voted for him

 

2. If Rudy would have had any shot of beating Mitt in Iowa, believe me, he would have shown up.

 

3. As Winston Churchill said:

 

"Wars are not won by evacuation .  .  ."

 

Gov. Romney Tours San Ysidro Border

Matthews on Romney: "Everything about him is perfect ... the tie always tied"

On the August 13 edition of MSNBC's Hardball, during an interview with Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, host Chris Matthews said: "Let me ask you about [Republican presidential candidate] Mitt Romney. You know, I watched him on the [NBC] Today show this morning. He looks like a million bucks. Everything is perfect. Everything about him is perfect." As examples, Matthews cited Romney's "look," his "manner," and his "shirt," with "never rolled-up sleeves" and "the tie always tied," and asked: "That perfection -- is that the Republican Party of the 21st century? Is that what we're looking for, the perfect efficiency expert?" Huckabee responded: "Well, if it is, I'm not going to get the nomination, because I'm far from perfect. ... I've got a bald spot on the back of my head. My life has been one of nothing but struggle in many ways."

Matthews frequently fawns over Romney's appearance, as Media Matters for America has documented. On the January 19 edition of Hardball, Matthews said of Romney: "He has the perfect chin, the perfect hair, he looks right." On the February 13 edition of the show, Matthews said Romney has "got a great chin, I've noticed."

From the August 13 edition of MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews:

MATTHEWS: Let me ask you about Mitt Romney. You know, I watched him on the Today show this morning. He looks like a million bucks. Everything is perfect. Everything about him is perfect -- his look, his manner, everything, the shirt, never rolled-up sleeves, the tie always tied. That perfection -- is that the Republican Party of the 21st century? Is that what we're looking for, the perfect efficiency expert?

HUCKABEE: Well, if it is, I'm not going to get the nomination, because I'm far from perfect. I'm the guy that -- you know, I've got a bald spot on the back of my head. My life has been one of nothing but struggle in many ways. But I think that's why I'll end up being the nominee. There a lot more people that can relate to people like me.

 

http://mediamatters.org/items/200708140005

Obama's comments on Afghanistan draw sharp rebuke from Romney campaign

WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama came under fire Tuesday for saying that U.S. troops in Afghanistan are "just air-raiding villages and killing civilians." The junior senator from Illinois made the comment Monday at a campaign stop in Nashua, New Hampshire.

"We've got to get the job done there," he said of Afghanistan. "And that requires us to have enough troops so that we're not just air-raiding villages and killing civilians, which is causing enormous problems there."

The comment drew a rebuke Tuesday from the campaign of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

"That is a very troubling remark on so many levels," said Romney spokesman Kevin Madden. "Most importantly, it's emblematic of Senator Obama's lack of experience for the job of commander-in-chief. But it's also an entirely inaccurate condemnation of the efforts of the men and women of the United States military who are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan."

A spokesman for Obama, who will speak at the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Missouri next week, did not immediately respond to Madden's criticism.

The flap comes three weeks after Obama promised that if elected president, he would meet without pre-conditions with the leaders of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea. That pledge was called "irresponsible and frankly naive" by rival Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Eight days later, eager to rebut Clinton's charge, Obama said that as president, he might send U.S. troops into Pakistan to fight terrorists not targeted by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.

"If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf won't act, we will," he vowed.

Critics called this overly hawkish, prompting Obama to modulate again the next day by ruling out the use of nuclear weapons to fight terrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

"I think it would be a profound mistake for us to use nuclear weapons in any circumstance," he told the AP before pausing.

"Involving civilians," he added. "Let me scratch that. There's been no discussion of nuclear weapons. That's not on the table."

The gaffe was criticized by Clinton, who said: "I don't believe that any president should make any blanket statements with respect to the use or non-use of nuclear weapons."

Clinton has been criticized for a statement about Iran last year in which she said "I would certainly take nuclear weapons off the table."

On Tuesday, Clinton's campaign declined to comment on Obama's remark about U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

bsammon@dcexaminer.com

Download the video of Obama's controversial comments on Afghanistan while on the campaign trail in Nashua, New Hampshire.

Allen, Alter and Cillizza on Romney

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Allen, Alter and Cillizza on Romney and Rove

Posted by: Hugh Hewitt  at 7:50 AM

Politico's Mike Allen on Romney:

Governor Romney looks so strong at this point. I think there was a time, tell me if you disagree, I think there was a time that if you'd put a gun to the head of most Republicans, insiders, they would have said Rudy Giuliani somehow, by hook or by crook, is going to wind up as the nominee. I think pressed now, today, those same Republicans would say Governor Romney, it's his to lose.

Allen on Fred Thompson:

Just to give you a quick little insight into the Fred strategy? They plan a little bit of a low impact campaign. They're pointing to Governor Bush's schedule in 2000, where his pattern was two events and a fundraiser a day. I think that that is the sort of schedule Senator Thompson's going to stick to....[H]e's not going to do the diner to diner, church to church, break your back sort of campaigning that at least in the primaries has come to be sort of customary.

Chris Cillizza on Fred Thompson's projected pace:

HH: But Mike Allen just said to me that he's heard that Thompson's going to run a two-event, one fundraiser a day campaign. And I wonder, and it's more of a feel issue, and you've been on the road a lot more than I have in the last three months, can a Snuffy Smith, you know, lying in my hammock, getting up off the back porch for some lemonade campaign work in 2007 and 2008, Chris Cillizza?

CC: I don't think so, and I think it would be a mistake if that was the campaign Thompson was running. Now he has, throughout his political career, faced questions about his political metabolism, you know, does he have the heart to do it. I mean, Hugh, you've seen this, and I've seen it up close, running for office is not a cakewalk. You've got to be tireless, going to event after event. When I was in Iowa one day last week, Mitt Romney did six town halls in one day. You know, the problem for Fred Thompson is he's up against a guy like Romney who seems tireless, who whether he is enjoying it or not makes it look like he's enjoying it. And when you've got a guy out there going to six events, and you're doing two at the most, well, I'm no mathematician, but he's probably meeting three times as many people as you are.

Jonathan Alter on Romney:

HH: Jonathan, 30 seconds, if you're Hillary Clinton, who don't you want to run against as the Republican nominee?

JA: I think you don't want to run against Romney. I think that she could take Giuliani more easily than she could take Mitt Romney in a general election.

Governor Romney Files Public Financial Disclosure With The Federal Election Commission

Monday, Aug 13, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Romney Press Shop (857) 288-6390

Boston, MA – Today, Romney for President released Governor Romney's Public Financial Disclosure Report. According to the report, Governor and Mrs. Romney's assets are valued between $95 and $287 million. The 45-page report (SF 278) was submitted after several meetings and discussions with the Office of Government Ethics (OGE), conducted over a period of several months, to ensure that the report is complete, accurate, and in full compliance with the financial disclosure requirements. The report, required for all candidates for President, lists income, assets and liabilities for Governor and Mrs. Romney.

Aside from some cash and cash equivalents, all of the Romneys' assets are held in blind trusts and an IRA which is managed on a blind basis. The management of these assets has been deemed blind in an opinion issued by the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission. These blind investment entities were established when Mitt Romney became Governor in 2003. All three blind entities are administered by the Trustee, Brad Malt, Chairman of Ropes & Gray, LLP. The investment advisor to the entities is Jim Donovan a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs. The Romneys have not made any investment decisions since the establishment of the entities and do not have actual knowledge of their holdings.

"The aim," said Malt, "was to invest Governor and Mrs. Romney's assets prudently. The assets were invested, to the best of our ability, in a diversified portfolio that we felt reflected a risk and return profile appropriate for Governor and Mrs. Romney's financial circumstances, and was consistent with other investment trusts of similar scope and nature."

After discussions with OGE, OGE decided that, under its precedents, a state blind trust, such as the Governor's, could not qualify as a federal blind trust. For that reason, the Romneys will obtain legal knowledge of their holdings today when Governor Romney's Financial Disclosure Report is made public. Up through today's filing, the Romneys have retained the practices established when he was Governor and they do not have actual knowledge of their holdings. All decisions will continue to be made by the Trustee as they have been since establishment of the blind trusts.

From 1978 to 1984, Romney was a Vice President at Bain & Company, Inc., a leading management consulting firm. In 1984, he founded Bain Capital, one of the nation's most successful venture capital and investment firms. Several years later, he was asked to return to Bain & Company as CEO to lead a financial restructuring of the organization. Governor Romney later returned to Bain Capital, and retired on Feb. 11, 1999 to lead the Salt Lake Olympics. He has not had any active role at any Bain Capital entity since that date.

As part of his retirement from Bain Capital, he entered into a non-compete, non-hire agreement running through February 11, 2009 which provides him with a passive, declining profit share that is fixed by contract in certain Bain Capital entities, and the right to make passive investments in certain Bain Capital investments. With respect to these profit shares and investments, since January 1, 2003, "neither Mr. Romney nor Mrs. Romney has had any control over the assets acquired or disposed of, neither Mr. Romney nor Mrs. Romney has received any reports identifying specific assets held, and the management of the assets has been deemed blind by the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission," according to a footnote in the report filed today.

Other Items Of Note: 

- The Public Financial Disclosure Report (SF 278) Requires Filers To List Assets Within Ranges. While the disclosure shows that the Romney's assets are valued between $95 and $287 million, a more accurate range is between $190 and $250 million. 

- Investment In Market Securities Are Spread Over Most Sectors Of The Economy: Including consumer discretionary, consumer staples, energy, financial, health care, industrial, information technology, materials, telecommunications and utility securities. 

- Roughly 40% Of All Assets In The Romney Trusts Are Invested In Bonds. 

- Roughly 11% Of All Assets Are Invested In International Securities.  

- The Romneys Established A Trust For Their Children Valued At $100 Million. The campaign is not filing a disclosure report for this trust and is not required to because neither Governor nor Mrs. Romney is a beneficiary and Governor Romney is not the trustee.

Clinton a drag? Dems fear her negatives

Clinton a drag? Dems fear her negatives

By RON FOURNIER, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 59 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Looking past the presidential nomination fight, Democratic leaders quietly fret that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton at the top of their 2008 ticket could hurt candidates at the bottom.

 

They say the former first lady may be too polarizing for much of the country. She could jeopardize the party's standing with independent voters and give Republicans who otherwise might stay home on Election Day a reason to vote, they worry.

In more than 40 interviews, Democratic candidates, consultants and party chairs from every region pointed to internal polls that give Clinton strikingly high unfavorable ratings in places with key congressional and state races.

"I'm not sure it would be fatal in Indiana, but she would be a drag" on many candidates, said Democratic state Rep. Dave Crooks of Washington, Ind.

Unlike Crooks, most Democratic leaders agreed to talk frankly about Clinton's political coattails only if they remained anonymous, fearing reprisals from the New York senator's campaign. They all expressed admiration for Clinton, and some said they would publicly support her fierce fight for the nomination — despite privately held fears.

The chairman of a Midwest state party called Clinton a nightmare for congressional and state legislative candidates.

A Democratic congressman from the West, locked in a close re-election fight, said Clinton is the Democratic candidate most likely to cost him his seat.

A strategist with close ties to leaders in Congress said Democratic Senate candidates in competitive races would be strongly urged to distance themselves from Clinton.

"The argument with Hillary right now in some of these red states is she's so damn unpopular," said Andy Arnold, chairman of the Greenville, S.C., Democratic Party. "I think Hillary is someone who could drive folks on the other side out to vote who otherwise wouldn't."

"Republicans are upset with their candidates," Arnold added, "but she will make up for that by essentially scaring folks to the polls."

In national surveys, Clinton's lead over chief rival Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois has widened. Her advantage is much narrower where it counts most — in early voting states like Iowa and New Hampshire. In matchups against potential GOP presidential candidates, Clinton leads or is tied.

The Clinton campaign points to those figures to make a case for her electability in a constant stream of e-mails, letters and phone calls to jittery Democrats across the country. A key to their strategy is to give Clinton's candidacy a sense of inevitability despite her negative ratings, which aides insist will go down.

"All the negatives on her are out," said Clinton's pollster and strategist Mark Penn. "There is a phenomena with Hillary, because she is the front-runner and because she's been battling Republicans for so long, her unfavorability (rating) looks higher than what they will eventually be after the nomination and through the general election."

What the Clinton campaign doesn't say is that her edge over potential Republican candidates is much smaller than it should be, given the wide lead the Democratic Party holds over the GOP in generic polling.

The problem is her political baggage: A whopping 49 percent of the public says they have an unfavorable view of Clinton compared to 47 percent who say they hold her in high regard, according to a Gallup Poll survey Aug. 3-5.

Her negative ratings are higher than those of her husband, former President Clinton, former President George H.W. Bush and 2004 Democratic nominee John Kerry at the end of their campaigns.

A candidate's unfavorability scores almost always climb during campaigns. If the pattern holds, Clinton has a historically high hurdle to overcome.

"For Hillary, who has been on the scene for so long and has had perception of her so ground in ... there's no question it will be really hard for her to change perceptions," said Democratic pollster David Eichenbaum, who represents moderate Democrats in GOP-leaning states.

Her baggage is heaviest in those states. Private polling conducted in Colorado, for example, shows that Clinton's negative rating is 16 percentage points higher than her favorability score.

Colorado is a state Democrats hope to win in the 2008 presidential race. It also has an open Senate seat, with the Republican incumbent opting not to seek another term and Democrats targeting it.

Obama has much lower unfavorability ratings than Clinton, though Democrats say he may have his own problem — that of race. It's hard to measure the impact of being the first party to put a black at the top of the ticket, Democratic leaders said.

Some Democrats hold out hope that Clinton can turn things around.

"She's got a tough road to hoe because people have formed opinions of her," said Rep. Tim Mahoney, a freshman Democrat from Florida. "But I can and will tell you that when I see Hillary get out there with the public, she changes people's minds. She's not the stereotype that people know her to be."

In Indiana, where three freshman Democratic congressmen are fighting to retain their seats, Crooks said Clinton would be a burden in districts like his full of "gun-toting, bible-carrying, God-loving, church-attending" voters.

"She is just so polarizing," the state lawmaker said. Clinton would drag any candidate down 3 or 4 percentage points, he said.

"I'm one of these Democrats who has some legitimate reservations, because the Clintons have in the past invigorated the Republican base," said Carrie Webster, a leader in the West Virginia state House who served as executive director of the state party when Bill Clinton won the 1992 West Virginia primary.

"But the fact that so many prominent Democratic males are getting behind her at this early point makes me a little more confident that she could overcome some of the more obvious hurdles," she said.

Nebraska party chairman Matt Connealy said he believes Democratic candidates will be able to avoid a Clinton backlash.

"I probably would have given you a different answer a month ago," he said, "and maybe will give you a different answer a month from now."

___

Associated Press writers Kathy Barks Hoffman in Michigan, Marc Levy in Pennsylvania, Lawrence Messina in West Virginia, Steven K. Paulson in Colorado, Kelley Shannon in Texas and Mike A. Smith in Indiana contributed to this report.

"The Brownback campaign has been a vile little thing..."

Monday, August 13, 2007

Grasping at Straws

Posted by: Dean Barnett  at 11:43 AM

So how much did this weekend's little event in Ames, Iowa matter? On the one hand, you had some guy at the Beauchamp Gazette gushing that "it's hard to overstate the significance of Huckabee's performance here" before predicting that Huckabee-mania would swamp the nation like a global-warming induced tsunami. On the other hand, you had analysts like John Podhoretz bluntly opining, "I hate to be nasty, but anybody who takes the Ames Straw Poll results seriously is an idiot. A bunch of people spent ludicrous amounts of money to bus-and-truck 14,000 people to a big picnic, and the guy who spent the most bought the win with a mammoth 4516 votes. Goshers! 4,516 votes."

Yes, unduly nasty, but his comments hit close to the mark. When all the frontrunners bailed on Ames except for Mitt Romney, the straw poll instantly became a freak show for fried-Twinkee craving political obsessives. Mitt Romney did what he had to do. He won and continued to show his commitment to Iowa. After McCain, Rudy and Fred decided not to attend, I bet the Romney campaign wouldn't have minded if the Ames people called the whole thing off. Would have saved a few bucks, and it's not like he needed the boost.

For those who say Romney's looking less juggernaut-ish than he did before Ames because of Huckabee's second place finish, I'd ask when precisely did the Romney campaign turn into a juggernaut. He's still a relatively obscure figure with roughly half the name recognition of Rudy Giuliani or Hillary Clinton. As Hugh pointed out over the weekend, the Romney campaign has met every goal he has set. But the will goals get harder to reach to as the calendar progresses. Winning in Iowa once looked like a long shot for Romney. Not anymore. Winning in South Carolina and Florida still look tough. He's got to keep moving forward. I'm sure the campaign knows this. Mitt ain't exactly the presumptive nominee just yet.

ONCE AGAIN, GENERALLY SPEAKING, J-POD IS RIGHT. Since the Ames event wasn't competitive, it became a non-event. Does anyone who knows anything about Republican politics think Mike Huckabee has a chance to win this race? Republicans don't nominate inexperienced people; our least qualified nominee of the past 60 years was George W. Bush, and he had been Governor of a large state for 6 years and he had the proper bloodlines.

Huckabee seems like a great guy, and he's run a nice campaign, but his resume is too slight to get a seat at the top-tier table. Yes, he's been Governor of Arkansas; Republicans don't think the last experiment of electing someone with that background worked out particularly well. By the way, the resume-thing is the reason Duncan Hunter hasn't been able to break through, even though he's very impressive. In the eyes of the Republican electorate, he's just a congressman, and I can't remember someone with a background like that even seriously contending for the Republican nomination.

As far as the other candidates are concerned, the Ames results are also a non-event. You could say the results prove that Ron Paul isn't a serious candidate for the Republican nomination. But you know what? If Paul had won the straw poll with 80% of the vote on Saturday, his Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs campaign would still be a non-starter. Republicans aren't going to nominate Ron Paul for the presidency. We're not even going to consider it.

Some people say the fact that Brownback came in third means he can't get any traction. Really now - don't the facts that he hasn't raised any money or budged at all in any polls more strongly suggest what a failure his campaign has been? I know Patrick says the Brownback campaign has "rock stars like Leon Wolf and Billy Valentine running their e-efforts." Perhaps that shows the value of having "e-effort" rock stars. Campaigns are big things, and "e-efforts" remain a small part of the big picture. Even the best e-efforts can't overcome a terminally lame candidate.

The Brownback campaign has been a vile little thing, attacking other candidates from way back in the pack, violating the 11^th Commandment constantly. Sam Brownback appears to be a deluded man, laboring under the impression that he actually has a chance in this race and that the ends therefore justify the means. Yes, the same Sam Brownback who switched his vote on McCain/Kennedy in a span of minutes to be on the winning side, an act caught for posterity on C-SPAN, actually thinks he has a chance to be the next President of the United States. It's nice that T. Thompson and Gilmoar dropped out, but Brownback has been the least distinguished member of the field. The race will benefit from his absence.

One could say that we should be thankful for Ames because it clarified some things. But for the last time, J-Pod is right. It was a non-event, and the campaign looks exactly the way it did on Friday. Rudy's the frontrunner, Romney's the strong second and Thompson's the wildcard. There's probably room in the top tier for another candidate, but none of the existing lower-tier candidates have the stuff to capitalize on the opportunity.

Compliments? Complaints? Contact me at Soxblog@aol.com

NPR on Romney... or not...

Listening to NPR this morning and they mentioned T Thompson is out, but did not mention who won...

 

Interesting... perhaps they found out who cut the most Government jobs while in office (Mitt Romney) and are scared of him getting into office...

 

I think that is a great measure of who would be a good president... Who NPR least wants... I listen to NPR, but hate about 1/4 of what they do, and the way they do it...

 

I would be sad to see them go, but see no reason for Government support, and they pathetic attempts at sounding like a needed charity is very presumptuous...

 

What really galls me is the self righteous way they say they don't run commercials (they do) and so they don't have any bias. Well, yes, they get their money from somewhere, and so follow the money for NPR bias. PRO BIG GOVERNMENT BIAS!

 

Patrick Ruffini (no Romney fan) on Brownback

Sunday, August 12, 2007

Brownbackfired

Posted by: Patrick Ruffini  at 5:24 PM

Of all the second tier campaigns, Sam Brownback's was the best at the blocking and tackling of grassroots campaigning. They moved impressive numbers of people to Ames, spending $600,000. They placed an improbable third at CPAC. They have rock stars like Leon Wolf and Billy Valentine running their e-efforts.

And yet…

This aggressiveness also led them into running the most overtly mean-spirited campaign of the cycle. They haven't been shy about trashing Romney, and unlike McCain, always having their name plastered all over the attack. They paid for robocalls trashing Romney and Tom Tancredo, whose pro-life credentials have never been in question so far as I can tell. They even questioned Baptist minister Mike Huckabee's Christian bona-fides.

At Ames, all of Brownback's targets either won (Romney) or performed far better than expected (Huckabee and Tancredo). Brownback's third place finish would have been respectable had it not been at the hands of Huckabee, who spent a quarter of what Brownback did at Ames.

That's leading to some pretty harsh assessments of what's next for the Kansan:

After putting in the effort he did today and in the weeks leading up to Ames, Brownback's third place finish will prompt questions about his ability to carry on in the race. - The Politico's Jonathan Martin

* Brownback invested a lot into the straw poll and got little return. Finishing third behind Huckabee makes it tough for the Kansas Senator to make the argument that he is the most viable social conservative candidate in the field. This is a major setback for Brownback and could well lead to his departure from the race in the near future. - WashingtonPost.com's Chris Cillizza

That's rough. But it's what happens when what should be insurgent campaigns take on the airs of political machines (see McCain, John).

What They're Really Saying About Governor Mitt Romney Winning The Iowa Republican Straw Poll, Vol. 2

Sunday, Aug 12, 2007

ABC's George Stephanopoulos: "A solid win for Mitt Romney. Is this a sign of things to come?" (ABC's "This Week," 8/12/07)

U.S. News & World Report 's Michael Barone: "It's a plus for Mitt Romney." (Fox's "Fox News Sunday," 8/12/07)

Mason City Globe Gazette's Todd Dorman: "Republican Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney strengthened his front-runner status in Iowa by winning the Ames straw poll Saturday - capping a super-sized event that mixed caucus politics with heaping plates of barbecue, inflated carnival rides and sticky summer heat." (Todd Dorman, "Romney's The Big Ames Straw Poll Winner," Mason City [IA] Globe Gazette, 8/12/07)

The Boston Globe's Lisa Wangsness: "Mitt Romney won the Republican straw poll here decisively last night, delivering 31.5 percent of votes cast and solidifying his position as the man to beat in Iowa, the state that holds the critical first-in-the- nation caucuses." (Lisa Wangsness, "Romney Trounces GOP Field In Iowa Straw Poll," The Boston Globe, 8/12/07)

The Associated Press' Mike Glover: "And [Governor Romney] needed to win. He needed to win substantially, and he did. And for the moment, I think the political community is giving him his due for the day. He needed to win. He won." (Fox's "Fox News Sunday," 8/12/07)

New York Post's Tom Liddy: "Looks like Mitt has caught fire in Iowa." (Tom Liddy, "Mitt Is Iowa's GOP Straw Man," New York Post , 8/12/07)

- Liddy: "Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney threw down the gauntlet in front of his fellow Republicans yesterday with a victory in a high-profile 2008 White House straw poll." (Tom Liddy, "Mitt Is Iowa's GOP Straw Man," New York Post, 8/12/07)

Des Moines Register's Thomas Beaumont and Jonathan Roos: "Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney emerged on top at the Iowa Republican Party's straw poll Saturday in Ames..." (Thomas Beaumont and Jonathan Roos, "Romney's Straw Poll Drive Pays Off," Des Moines Register, 8/12/07)

- Beaumont and Roos: "Ken Mehlman, the former White House political director who oversaw George W. Bush's winning straw poll performance in 1999, said Romney's margin exceeded Bush's winning margin eight years ago." (Thomas Beaumont and Jonathan Roos, "Romney's Straw Poll Drive Pays Off," Des Moines Register, 8/12/07)

Cedar Rapids Gazette's Rod Boshart and James Lynch: "Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney used a well-funded, well-oiled organization to score a hard-fought victory in Saturday's GOP straw poll that drew an estimated 33,000 revved-up Republicans to the Iowa State University campus." (Rod Boshart and James Q. Lynch, "Mitt Romney Wins Iowa Straw Poll," Cedar Rapids [IA] Gazette, 8/12/07)

- Boshart and Lynch: "Romney skated to victory with 4,516 votes, which was 31.5 percent of the 14,302 Iowans who cast ballots." (Rod Boshart and James Q. Lynch, "Mitt Romney Wins Iowa Straw Poll," Cedar Rapids [IA] Gazette, 8/12/07)

Los Angeles Times' Michael Finnegan: "Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney handily won a Republican presidential straw poll here on Saturday ..." (Michael Finnegan, "Romney Wins Big In Iowa's GOP Straw Poll," Los Angeles Times, 8/12/07)

- Finnegan: "Still, the straw poll marked an important benchmark in the GOP race, underscoring Romney's strength in the state that will launch the party's 2008 nomination race with its precinct caucuses, now slated for early January." (Michael Finnegan, "Romney Wins Big In Iowa's GOP Straw Poll," Los Angeles Times, 8/12/07)

- Finnegan: "For Romney, the straw poll at minimum demonstrated organizational might that could serve him well in the caucuses." (Michael Finnegan, "Romney Wins Big In Iowa's GOP Straw Poll," Los Angeles Times, 8/12/07)

Reuters' John Whitesides: "Romney matched the 31 percent of the vote won by then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush in his 1999 straw poll victory on the road to the White House." (John Whitesides, "Romney Wins Iowa Republican Straw Poll," Reuters, 8/12/07)

The Politico's Jonathan Martin: "For Romney's camp, however, the victory represented the clearing of the first bar in the nominating contest. Powered by a multimillion-dollar investment in this kickoff caucus state, the former Massachusetts governor's 13 percentage point margin of victory bested the 10 percentage point win then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush enjoyed over Steve Forbes in the 1999 straw poll." (Jonathan Martin, "Romney Wins Big, Huckabee Second," The Politico, 8/12/07)

Real Clear Politics' Tom Bevan: "Romney's win yesterday solidifies his standing as the front runner in Iowa heading into the final five and half month stretch." (Tom Bevan, "The Ames Aftermath: Lots of Excitement, Little Change," Real Clear Politics, http://time-blog.com/real_clear_politics/, 8/12/07)

The Dallas Morning News' Todd Gillman: "A win in 1999 helped clear the field for President Bush. This time around, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney was the favorite. He coasted to a win with 31.5 percent..." (Todd J. Gillman, "Iowa Straw Poll: A Carnival With Big Political Consequences," The Dallas Morning News, 8/12/07)

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's Katherine Skiba: "Grabbing a commanding win in a watched-around-the-world Republican straw poll, Mitt Romney was rewarded by Iowans with an early victory Saturday in his run for the White House." (Katherine M. Skiba, "Romney Notches 1st Win In Iowa," Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, 8/12/07)

McClatchy's Steven Thomma: "The event appeared to confirm the status of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney as a leader for his party's nomination ..." (Steven Thomma, "Romney Takes Top Spot In Straw Poll," McClatchy Newspapers, 8/12/07)

Transcript: Mitt Romney on 'FOX News Sunday'

Sunday , August 12, 2007

DES MOINES, Iowa — 

The following is a partial transcript of the Aug. 12, 2001, edition of "FOX News Sunday With Chris Wallace":

"FOX NEWS SUNDAY" HOST CHRIS WALLACE: And joining us now, the winner of the Iowa straw poll, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney .

Welcome back to "FOX News Sunday," Governor, and congratulations on yesterday.

2008 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE MITT ROMNEY: Well, thank you, Chris. And it's already warm here in Des Moines.

WALLACE: It sure is. What do you see as the significance of your victory yesterday?

M. ROMNEY: Well, it's a big start getting ready for the caucuses. You want to do well in the straw poll so that you can build the organization, get your fundraising machine under way, make sure that your message connects with the people of Iowa, because if you can do well in the straw poll, it gives you the real boost that you need to go on to the caucuses.

And of course, if you do well in the caucuses, that helps in New Hampshire and traditionally gets you going in a national campaign.

WALLACE: Now, as you well know, there's an expectations game. It's not just whether you win but how big a win you have. You got 4,500 votes.

By way of comparison, eight years ago when he was first running, George W. Bush got 7,400 votes, and David Yepsen, the political columnist of the Des Moines Register, kind of a guru here, called your victory, quote, "a bit hollow."

M. ROMNEY: Well, I'm very pleased to win, let me tell you. I got a higher percentage even than the president got eight years ago. And you know, it was a warm day, and actually it was difficult turning people out.

And we asked them, "Come on. Come on into the Ames straw poll." And they said, "Look, everyone says you're going to win. It's an easy win. You're way ahead."

And we've turned our people out. We hoped to get out about 4,000 to 5,000. We did. They came. They voted. I won. Can't do better than that. That's exactly what I was hoping for.

And frankly, the key for me is building that organizational base that propels me for the caucuses.

WALLACE: Let me ask you, though, because it is interesting that eight years ago, George Bush — when he was running, 23,000 Iowans came and voted at the Ames straw poll.

This year, yesterday, 14,000 voted. And some people are reading that as an indication that Republicans here in Iowa and, according to the polls, across the country are a bit dispirited.

M. ROMNEY: You know, I don't think that's the case, but you know, I'll let the gurus do their work. I think instead people thought that this was a pretty forgone conclusion.

I also think that you had a couple of folks not participating in the race, and so they didn't bring out the numbers they would have normally brought out.

But we've also had a Republican lead over the last several years. When George Bush ran, we'd had eight years of Bill Clinton, and I think there was a lot of anger in the Republican Party, and I don't think that level of anger is there.

WALLACE: Let's talk a little bit about the rules of the straw poll, because it isn't just you come and you vote. In fact, you need to buy a $35 ticket.

Somebody described to me a loser as somebody who actually pays for his own ticket, because most of the time campaigns like yours and your competitors pay the $35.

Some creative accounting, I'm sure, from some of your rivals when they added up how much you'd spent on tickets, and buses, and organization, and a $2 million ad campaign — they say you paid about $800 per vote.

M. ROMNEY: Well, they're missing one key thing, and that is the advertising was not for the straw poll. People don't come to a straw poll based on ads.

The advertising is helping build the base that I need as somebody that's not terribly well known in Iowa to get better known, to have a message that connects with people and to get ready for the caucuses. It's the caucus that you really aim for.

And what I'm pleased about is that the message I came to Iowa with — and that is that I could strengthen America, get the job done to strengthen our military, to strengthen our economy with better good jobs, and to strengthen America's families — that that message connected with the voters here in Iowa.

And I did it on the air. I did it at the grassroots level. I did over 300 events in Iowa over this last year. And a campaign, to be successful, has to have the resources, the ground team and the message, and we put that together.

WALLACE: You pointed out the fact that there were some people who weren't here. Do you think your victory is at all diminished by the fact that Giuliani and McCain and Fred Thompson didn't come to play yesterday?

M. ROMNEY: I think it's actually enhanced. I think if they thought they could have won, they'd have been here. The reason they weren't here wasn't an indication of their strength in Iowa.

And so I think what you're seeing is that they looked at the field and said, "Gosh, Mitt Romney's message and his resources and his ground team is so strong, we can't compete there."

And if you can't compete in the heartland, if you can't compete in Iowa in August, how are you going to compete in January when the caucuses are held? And then how are you going to compete in November of '08?

Because fundamentally, you've got to win Iowa if you want to win the presidency. This is a purple state.

WALLACE: Well, so let me ask you about where this puts you in the race for the GOP nomination. With your victory in the Ames straw poll yesterday, are you now the frontrunner for the Republican nomination?

M. ROMNEY: Oh, wouldn't that be nice? I've got a long way to go to become a frontrunner. Hopefully, I'll become a frontrunner or the frontrunner in about December or January, and I've got a long way to go. I'm not terribly well known across the nation.

But what's encouraging and pleasing to me is that the state or states where I've really spent my time, the first two — New Hampshire and Iowa — I'm doing well.

And the tests that have been had across the country, whether that was the Memphis straw poll, or the South Carolina county straw polls, or now here the Ames straw poll — I've won each of them.

So I'm pleased that the message is connecting, that all of the barbs that get thrown by my competitors are being dismissed. People are getting to know my family and me and saying, "Look, this is a guy who could lead our party." I sure hope so.

WALLACE: I'm going to get to some of those barbs in a moment, but let's talk about strategy, because you clearly — you're not as well known, I think you'd agree, as Fred Thompson or John McCain or Rudy Giuliani — not as well known nationally.

You're counting on victories in the early states, in Iowa, in New Hampshire, to kind of springboard you so that when you get to the big states later in January and early February, you're on even or even have an advantage over them.

Would the compression that we saw this week, with states moving up and Iowa and South Carolina and New Hampshire all getting crunched, is that going to make it more difficult for your strategy?

In a sense, are you going to have less of a time for your momentum to play out?

M. ROMNEY: You know, it could be read both ways. And that may well be the case. There are some who have looked at it, like the Wall Street Journal, and say it makes Iowa and New Hampshire even more important, because if you do well in those first couple of states, get the boost from those first states, there's very little time for one's opponents to try and minimize that big win and then go on and rebuild for South Carolina or Michigan or Florida.

So I don't know how it's going to work out. But I can tell you that so far, in the tests that have been given to us, we've come out on top. And I plan on having the resources, the message and the ground team — the grassroots effort that has proven to be successful to date.

WALLACE: Well, let's talk a little bit about not all of that but also ideas. You're running as the true conservative of the race, running to the right of Rudy Giuliani, but you're going to get a big factor in this race pretty soon.

It looks like Fred Thompson finally, after all the build-up, is going to get in right after Labor Day. Doesn't he have a longer and less complicated record as a conservative than you do?

M. ROMNEY: You know, I have a record as a governor. And talk is cheap, but action speaks very loud. And I was a governor for four years. And on the issues people care about, they can see what I did as governor.

And I'm happy to put my record up against anybody that's running for president. I really think that the United States of America is the largest enterprise in the world, needs to have somebody who's actually led something, managed something, knows how to make things happen. And I've got a record of doing that.

So we'll talk about issues, what we believe, but also what we've done. And my record is clear in that regard. I know people will try and twist and turn, but I'll be able to talk about what I've done when other people are just talking about what they'd like to do.

WALLACE: OK. Let's talk about twists and turns, because this question of flip-flops, real or alleged, continues to dog your campaign, and I want to ask you about it.

In the debate last week, you were asked what is the defining mistake in your life, and here's what you said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

M. ROMNEY: My greatest mistake was when I first ran for office being deeply opposed to abortion but saying I'd support the current law, which was pro-choice and effectively a pro-choice position. That was just wrong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: Governor, back then you said a lot more than just you support the current law. We took a look at what you said when you were running for the Senate in 1994 and also running for governor in 2002. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

M. ROMNEY: I believe that abortion should be safe and legal in this country. I believe that since Roe v. Wade has been the law for 20 years that we should sustain and support it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

M. ROMNEY: I will preserve and protect a woman's right to choose and am devoted and dedicated to honoring my word in that regard. I will not change any provisions of Massachusetts's pro-choice laws.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: For eight years — eight years — you said that you would protect and respect a woman's right to choose.

M. ROMNEY: Yes. Yeah, that's right. And then when I became governor — I don't know what's so unusual about this, but when I became governor and when legislation was brought to my desk that dealt with life, and I sat down and I said, "Am I going to sign this? Because I personally oppose abortion. Am I going to sign this?"

And I brought in theologians. I brought in scientists, took it apart — this related to embryonic cloning. And I said, "I simply have to come down on the side of life," and wrote an op-ed piece in the Boston Globe and said, "Look, here is why I am pro-life."

And I laid out in my view that a civilized society must respect the sanctity of life. And you know what? I'm following in some pretty good footsteps.

It's exactly what Ronald Reagan did. As governor, he was adamantly pro-choice. He became pro-life as he experienced life.

And the same thing happened with Henry Hyde and George Herbert Walker Bush. And so if there's some people who can't get over the fact that I've become pro-life, that's fine.

But I'm not going to apologize for the fact that I am pro-life and that I was wrong before, in my view, and that I've taken the right course.

WALLACE: But let me ask you, is it fair to say that you would not be running for president if you had not held elective office as governor of Massachusetts?

M. ROMNEY: Well, I would think that's the case.

WALLACE: Fair to say that you would not have been elected governor of Massachusetts if you had been staunchly pro-life back in 2002?

M. ROMNEY: You can't predict that. How in the world can I predict how I would have...

WALLACE: Do you really think you would have had a chance in the state of Massachusetts?

M. ROMNEY: ... if I had won in Massachusetts? And by the way, the major organizations in Massachusetts, like NARAL, wrote articles saying I was dangerous, don't support me.

I never called myself pro-choice. I never allowed myself to use the word pro-choice because I didn't feel I was pro-choice. I would protect the law, I said, as it was, but I wasn't pro-choice, and so...

WALLACE: But do you think that you — let me just ask, if I may, sir...

M. ROMNEY: Well, let me also just point out — therefore, they were adamantly opposed to my campaign, said I was not reliable. Ted Kennedy , as you may recall, said he was multiple choice.

So there was a concern there, and I took a campaign which was based on conservative principles. I said I was in favor of traditional marriage. I was opposed to same-sex marriage. I wanted to hold our taxes down.

And the truth is as a governor, I faced the issue of life and came out on the side of life on every single occasion that a bill was brought before me.

WALLACE: So do you see your victory yesterday as, in a sense, vindication that voters have heard all of this, have seen all the old clips, and basically don't care about the fact that you have had an evolving position over the years on the question of abortion as well as gay rights and a number of other issues?

M. ROMNEY: Well, I'm not going to so easily go along with your idea about evolving on other issues, but I changed my position on abortion. I was effectively pro-choice, given the statements I had made, but I am pro-life. I'm proud of that.

And I frankly think that the people whose campaigns were entirely focused on trying to bring me down and attack me — those campaigns weren't successful.

So I'm not going to overstate the results of yesterday. Obviously, they're going to continue to come at me with hammer and tong, but I believe people want to look beyond the attacks and understand what is it that a person stands for.

And I think with 300 events across Iowa and a message that was clear as a bell, people coming out in large numbers on a hot day sent a pretty strong message.

WALLACE: Governor, we've got to take a quick break here, but when we come back, we will talk about how President Romney would differ from President Bush.

And we'll return from our "FOX News Sunday" headquarters across from the state capitol in Des Moines, Iowa, right after this message.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALLACE: And we're back now at the Iowa State Historical Museum here in Des Moines, Iowa with our special guest, Governor Mitt Romney.

Governor, next month General Petraeus will be making a progress report to Congress on the state of affairs and the state of the surge in Iraq. It seems almost certain to be a mixed picture with some military progress and obviously a political stalemate in Baghdad.

You say that you support the surge, quote, "at this point." How would President Romney decide how long you would continue to keep this enhanced number of U.S. soldiers in Iraq?

M. ROMNEY: Well, obviously, a hypothetical with all the potential permutations of what might develop is kind of hard to fashion, but if we're making progress that suggests there's a reasonable probability of success in stabilizing Iraq, that's a course I'm going to follow.

I get a chance to speak almost every week to people who've been there, who are non-partisan, and the response I'm hearing is very much like what we heard from Brookings and CSIS, which is that we seem to be making some progress there, albeit slow.

That's encouraging to me, because the consequence of withdrawing with a massive civil war breaking out and a regional conflict ensuing could have consequences for our nation and the world that are really quite frightening and perhaps cause us to come back again.

So a course of stability would be very, very encouraging, and I think there's some signs — it's not definitive at this point — some signs that that's what's happening.

WALLACE: You took a shot, I think it's fair to say, at Senator Obama last week when he said that if we had actionable intelligence on high-level terrorist targets in Pakistan and President Musharraf wouldn't act, that we will. You said that he had gone from being Jane Fonda to Dr. Strangelove in a week.

But let me ask you, if you had intelligence about terrorists in a foreign country and that country's leaders either wouldn't or couldn't act, what would you do?

M. ROMNEY: Well, you know, when you're running for president of the United States, you have to think about the question and the answer, but you also have to think about the implications of what you're saying around the world.

And Pakistan is a tinderbox. And of course, America keeps its options open to do what we think is in our best interest. But in a place like Pakistan, you make sure that you don't say things that could be misinterpreted and misused. And that was what his error was.

Of course, if we receive actionable intelligence about Usama bin Laden, we will take appropriate action, but we don't describe exactly what that might mean.

We have an ally there, Musharraf. We don't want in any way to try and weaken him in a very difficult situation, and that was...

WALLACE: But not talking about Pakistan, would you agree...

M. ROMNEY: ... and that was his mistake.

WALLACE: ... that you would take unilateral action if necessary to take out Al Qaeda?

M. ROMNEY: What I'm saying is that we will do what's in our best interest. We'll take action as necessary to get Usama bin Laden or to take out Al Qaeda as we can.

But we also have to be careful in our choice of words not to give aid to people who would use these words against us, and that's where Barack Obama went awry, is that he said things that you simply don't say on the international stage without recognizing that there's going to be repercussions among our friends.

We work with our friends. We also protect our interests.

WALLACE: I watched you give your speech in Ames yesterday in which you said that it's time for things to change in Washington.

M. ROMNEY: Yeah.

WALLACE: You have also said that you are not a carbon copy of President Bush, that you would do things differently.

In terms of management and priorities, how would you run a different administration from George W. Bush?

M. ROMNEY: Well, we're different people, of course, and I respect him enormously for what he's accomplished and what he will yet accomplish. But there are some things I'd do differently, I'm sure.

I want to bring in a real strong team of people who have very different backgrounds, a lot from the private sector, and I want to take on a whole series of efforts.

One is not just to win in Iraq and in Afghanistan, win the peace there, but I'd like to take on an effort globally to defeat jihad which is military in scope but also non-military, that combines our non-military resources with those of other nations to help move the word of Islam toward modernity and help the Muslims themselves reject the extreme.

I also want to get health care for our citizens, not a government takeover, socialized medicine plan. I want health care for our citizens.

I want to let middle-income Americans save their money tax-free so we can invest in a growth economy.

I want to protect good jobs here. We've got to become more competitive with Asia. China and India are coming.

WALLACE: Can I pick up — I want to pick up...

M. ROMNEY: Yeah, sure.

WALLACE: ... on that about the economy, because as a successful business man, you have said one of your top priorities is to strengthen the American economy.

I want to take a look at your record of performance as governor of Massachusetts. Here it is. Your state ranked third-lowest in creating new jobs during your term. It would have ranked second from the bottom except for Louisiana and Hurricane Katrina.

Manufacturing employment dropped 14 percent. That was the third- worst record in the country. And there was a net migration of 222,000 people from Massachusetts, a net migration. That was the third- highest population loss in the country during those years.

Governor, researchers at Northeastern University looked at the economic performance of Massachusetts during the Romney years and said it was one of the worst in the country.

M. ROMNEY: Well, I've got very different statistics than you do and than they do. First of all, there were no censuses taken during that time period, and so any numbers on population are just estimates by various folks.

And secondly, when I came in to Massachusetts, we were losing jobs every single month. Our budget was out of balance by some $3 billion. It took about a year, year and a half. We turned that around, started adding jobs every single month, added 53,000 jobs in the last couple of years that I was there since the downturn.

And a lot of the jobs that we fought for, like bringing in the largest single biotech manufacturing facility in the country, Bristol- Myers Squibb — we won that. It's not going to be built for another couple of years. A lot of our successes are coming down the road.

And I'll tell you, there's no question but that having a person who understood business and built a pipeline of new businesses made a difference for Massachusetts.

I got there. I think there were six companies in the pipeline that were thinking about coming to Massachusetts. When I left, as I recall, it was 238. We fought hard. We're rebuilding the state. You're going to see the product of that generate great results for years to come.

WALLACE: Finally, Governor, I want to ask you about two semi- personal controversies which might seem a little bit smaller but that people take seriously and I want to ask you to clear the record on.

One of them is the big dog controversy. Back in 1983, you took your Irish setter, Seamus, on a 12-hour road trip tied to the roof of your car...

M. ROMNEY: No, no, no, no, not quite like that.

WALLACE: Let me finish. Let me finish — in a kennel, inside a kennel.

M. ROMNEY: Yes, yes.

WALLACE: OK. I have a yellow lab named Winston. I would no sooner put him in a kennel on the roof of my car than I would one of my children.

Question: What were you thinking?

M. ROMNEY: This is a completely airtight kennel and mounted on the top of our car. He climbed up there regularly, enjoyed himself. He was in a kennel at home a great deal of time as well.

We loved the dog. It was where he was comfortable. And we had five kids inside the car. My guess is he liked it a lot better in his kennel than he would have liked it inside.

WALLACE: Well, I've got to tell you, Massachusetts law and dog lovers — and I'm one of them — take this seriously. Massachusetts law prohibits carrying an animal on top of a car, even in a kennel, as cruel and inhuman. Do you really think you did nothing wrong?

M. ROMNEY: I wasn't familiar with that in terms of Massachusetts law. Love my dog. We've had a lot of dogs over the years. Love them. Seamus, as his name is, climbed up there all by himself, enjoyed his ride, and whether you're in the back of a pickup truck or in the rooftop carrier, it was a good ride.

And all I can tell you is I didn't know that there was any problem with that in terms of the law. And he was a good friend of the family. We love our pets.

WALLACE: Finally, you caused a bit of a stir this week when someone at one of the wonderful town meetings that they have here — and people ask you all kinds of questions — asked you whether or not your sons had served in the Army and, in fact, were serving in the military in Iraq, and you answered that they had not, "One of the ways that my sons are showing support for our nation is helping me get elected because they think I'd be a great president."

Can you understand why that answer has upset some people?

M. ROMNEY: Oh, I misspoke there. I didn't mean in any way to compare service in the country with my boys in any way. Service in this country is an extraordinary sacrifice being made by individuals and their families.

I've been calling for a surge of support, as you know, by the American citizens. There's no comparison. I'm very pleased and proud of my boys and the help they're doing for their dad, but it's not service to the country. It's service for me. And there's just no comparison there.

WALLACE: We've got to leave it there. We want to thank you so much for coming and joining us today. Congratulations again on your victory, and safe travels on the campaign trail, sir.

M. ROMNEY: Thanks so much.

WALLACE: Thank you for joining us.

M. ROMNEY: Thanks, Chris.

NYT: "Bush = Washington DC"

August 11, 2007,  4:24 pm

Romney Praises Bush, Sort Of

By Adam Nagourney

Supporters of Mitt Romney cheered. (Photo: Eric Thayer/Getty Images)

AMES, Iowa — The Iowa Straw Poll was where President Bush took his first big step toward winning his party's nomination. He poured money and resources here in 1999, drawing 31 percent of the vote, way ahead of Steve Forbes, the billionaire, who drew 20 percent of the vote.

No surprise that Mr. Bush isn't a particularly popular figure here today as Republicans gather for another straw poll; indeed he seemed almost invisible today at one of the larger political Republican gatherings anywhere.

With one exception: Mitt Romney of Massachusetts. It wasn't the most ringing praise, but praise it was.

"I know it's gotten popular as of late for people in the media to be critical of the president," Mr. Romney told supporters. "No one is perfect."

"But let's not forget one thing," he said. "He has kept us safe these last six years. And that has not been easy."

Unfortunately for Mr. Bush and the White House, Mr. Romney — just moments later — drew cheers with a line that did not exactly sound like an affirmation of Mr. Bush's six years in Washington.

"What brought us here is change. Change begins in Iowa and change begins today. If there ever has been a time that needed change in Washington, it is now."

From The Sunday Times

Tony Allen-Mills, Cedar Rapids

WHEN the annual Iowa state fair opened in Des Moines last week the summer celebrations of America's rich rural traditions included an "ugliest cake" contest. It may prove the only Iowa competition that is not won this year by Mitt Romney, the eye-catching former Massachusetts governor who is threatening to shake up the Republican race for the White House in 2008.

"I love everything that comes out of your mouth," one adoring Iowa Republican cooed to Romney at an "Ask Mitt anything" fundraising dinner in Cedar Rapids. "I just think he's such a smart man," said Walter Willett after a breakfast meeting in Tama.

By gambling heavily on early success in the tortuous campaign for the Iowa caucuses - the key primary vote that traditionally launches the White House election season - Romney is hoping to wake up this morning with a largely symbolic but politically valuable victory under his silver-buckled belt.

...

Rudolph Giuliani, the former New York mayor, and Fred Thompson, the former senator and Hollywood actor, may be well ahead in the national polls, but in Iowa Romney has been sweeping all before him in an expensive bid to be taken seriously as the Republican successor to George W Bush.

An Iowa University poll last week gave Romney 26.9% of Republican voters likely to attend the state caucuses next January; Giuliani had only 11.3% and Thompson trailed with 6.5%. Both men decided not to invest in expensive campaigns for straw poll votes, but are headed to Iowa this week in a bid to make up lost ground.

Despite heavy sniping from rival camps about his political sincerity and his religious background Romney, 60, is proving a formidable grassroots campaigner with an enviable knack for surprising and impressing the mostly conservative farming folk of the American corn belt.

It doesn't hurt that he is 6ft 2in, was once named by People magazine as one of the 50 most beautiful people in America, and possesses a large and improbably photogenic family, in marked contrast to the chequered marital history of several of his Republican rivals.

...

Barnstorming across rural Iowa last week he was accompanied by his wife Ann, a striking blonde, who was 15 when they first met 42 years ago. "She is still my greatest campaign adviser, my sweetheart," he declared in Cedar Rapids to "aaahs" from the crowd.

At one stop, he had just finished emphasising how important it was for parents to tell their children that "before you have babies you get married", when the curtains behind him opened and two of his five adult sons emerged, one with a wife who was carrying her baby son Parker, one of Romney's 10 grandchildren. When the little boy smiled and clapped, several supporters wiped away tears.

Yet there's more to Romney than his seemingly bulletproof family image. The son of a former Michigan governor who also ran for president - unsuccessfully - in 1968, Romney is a multi-millionaire venture capitalist who earned a reputation when he rescued the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City from a corruption scandal and went on to be elected the Republican governor of a state whose senior senator is Ted Kennedy, the veteran liberal Democrat.

In person Romney comes across as a smooth performer with a neat line in political put-downs. Senator Hillary Clinton's presidential programme amounted to "out with Adam Smith and in with Karl Marx", he said at one stop. Senator Barack Obama, the Democratic contender who has been under fire for a series of foreign policy gaffes, had said he was "going to sit down for tea with our enemies [in Cuba and Venezuela], but then he's going to bomb our allies [in Pakistan]".

When I caught up with Romney in eastern Iowa I asked him if his own international inexperience might not prove a handicap once the campaign moved away from Iowa's cows and corn. "Oh, I don't think by being elected a senator you suddenly become an expert on world affairs," he said, in an obvious dig at Obama.

Romney added that during his career in international finance and his stewardship of the Olympics he had met "many international leaders. Just as Ronald Reagan was successful in combating the Soviet Union, I think a person outside Washington has a better chance of meeting today's challenges than anyone inside".

...

Last week Romney was repeatedly asked to explain why he now opposes abortion. "I was not always pro-life," he acknowledged to one meeting, "but I'm proud I made the same discovery that Ronald Reagan did." As a Hollywood actor the former president supported abortion, but as a Republican candidate he opposed it.

...

Yet neither the Mormon nor the abortion issue bothered Dawn Pettengill, a former state legislator who attended the Tama breakfast meeting. "You can't agree with anyone 100%," she said. "But you want a president who's going to listen to all sides and make a good value judgment."

So what did she think of Romney? "I was really impressed," she said. After last night's Iowa poll Romney plans to impress further afield.

Romney critical of poll no-shows

I think this is the best photo I have seen of Romney.

August 11, 2007

Romney critical of poll no-shows

Romney said the candidates who did not show knew they could not win straw poll.

AMES, Iowa (CNN) The winner of the Ames, Iowa straw poll says the three Republican presidential hopefuls who skipped the contest knew they couldn't win. Mitt Romney came in first in this crucial early GOP presidential showdown. The former Massachusetts Governor won nearly 32% of the vote, far ahead of his competitors.

At a news conference after the results were announced, Romney discussed why former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Senator Fred Thompson, and Senator from Arizona John McCain decided to skip this straw poll. Romney said "their decision not to compete here was not a decision based on strength." Romney continued, saying "the guys who decided not to play would have played here if they thought they could have won."

Giuliani, Thompson, who's not even a formal candidate yet, and McCain are one, two, and three in most national polls. Romney follows in fourth place.

Here in Iowa it's a different story. Romney leads in the state polls. The Iowa caucuses kick off the presidential primary season.

– CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser

Make Way for the Fred Heads

August 11, 2007, 1:04 pm

Make Way for the Fred Heads

By Michael Luo

Romney Wins Straw Poll

August 11, 2007,  9:25 pm

Romney Wins Straw Poll

By Jeff Zeleny

Mitt Romney celebrated his win in the straw poll. (Photo: Keith Bedford for The New York Times)

AMES, Iowa – The outcome of the Republican Straw Poll was announced here tonight, with Mitt Romney easily claiming the first prize of the presidential campaign. He was followed by Mike Huckabee and Sam Brownback.

There are, of course, many asterisks on this scorecard and the true significance is an open question. Neither Rudolph Giuliani, John McCain nor Fred Thompson actively participated in the event, but their names were still on the ballot here.

Here are the quick results:

1. Mitt Romney –32 percent
2. Mike Huckabee – 18 percent
3. Sam Brownback – 15 percent
4. Tom Tancredo – 14 percent
5. Ron Paul – 9 percent
6. Tommy Thompson — 7 percent
7. Fred Thompson – 1 percent
8. Rudolph W. Giuliani – 1 percent
9. Duncan Hunter – 1 percent
10. John McCain (less than 1 percent)
11. John Cox (less than 1 percent)

The vote totals for the top three: Mr. Romney — 4,516 votes; Mr. Huckabee — 2,587; Mr. Brownback – 2,192.

Jared: CNN boycotts Republicans

Is CNN even there? I went to their website a few minutes ago, and there isn't a link on the entire page that references the straw poll today. I guess the GOP isn't important, or the poll is meaningless in their eyes....

Kathryn Jean Lopez: In Praise of Retail Politics

In Praise of Retail Politics   [Kathryn Jean Lopez]

Mitt-supporting D.C. mom in Ames for the straw poll e-mails:

Overall, I have to say, I was impressed with the quality of the "retail politics" — lots of people were out in force in the 90-degree sun touting their candidates and their ideas - intelligently, passionately, and politely.  The kind of crowd where, even if your kid gets lost, you aren't thinking "Amber Alert," but rather, "I just need to get the PA system to tell whoever finds him to bring him to the Mittmobile." While in line for the Fair Tax Ferris Wheel, a Ron Paul supporter calls out, "Ron Paul has been pro-life his whole life." The response of some Mitt Romney supporters:  "God Bless him!". Paul supporter:  "Mitt Romney hasn't!" Romney supporter: "I know.  But he is now, and he is the only one who can beat Hillary Clinton, and she has never been pro-life."

08/11 05:33 PM

Kathryn Jean Lopez: NYT on Romney and Abortion

One wonders: Do Mike Huckabee and Sam Brownback want pro-choice Rudy Giuliani to be president? Or are they both confident in a not-yet-declared Fred Thompson (and praying he'll pick one of them as veep)?

Victor Davis Hanson quotes General: "The British have basically been defeated in the South."

We've come a long way from the 2003 British lectures about American obtrusive ray-bans and Kevlar losing what British soft hats and smiles had won.

That quote about defeat from "a senior U.S. official" about the British withdrawal from southern Iraq is probably accurate, but it belongs to a larger, more disturbing context:

(1) the popular British anger at the U.S. (whether evidenced by the "poodle" slur or the latest Pew poll finding that a bare majority of British subjects approves of the U.S.);

(2) a growing acknowledgement of British weakness and appeasement, as exemplified not just by the escape from Iraq, but everything from the coddling of radical Islamists in London to the humiliation of the British navy by Iran.

So there is a logic there: the more the U.S. seeks to be a partner with Britain in harm's way where it is ill-equipped, uncomfortable and thus bound to be humiliated, the more it resents America for doing so.

The unspoken truth is that just as there is no real military alliance called NATO, so too there is no Anglo-American "alliance". Both of course can serve as valuable psychological props, and continue in name through tradition and ennui, but neither amounts to anything militarily or even much politically anymore. We should accept that "getting the Brits or Europeans on board" at best means a few platitudes at the U.N .

The irony?

Continued Anglo-European distance from the U.S. transpires at exactly the time that the world is getting more dangerous for an unarmed Europe from rising Chinese and Russian nationalism, Iranian theocracy, and Islamic extremism-while U.S .public support for basing troops in the U.K. and Europe is at an all-time low.

To read contemporary journalism is to learn of Russian anger at Eastern Europe and EU morality lectures, Chinese frustration with EU tariffs, al Qaeda's hatred of a soft, 'decadent' European lifestyle, and missile proximity to Tehran-and a growing American weariness with all of the above.

For Britain and Europe, it is a classic case of "be careful of what you wish for..."

Ramesh Ponnuru: Giuliani Links

Giuliani Links  

Social Conservatives for Rudy and Catholics Against Rudy have both recently launched. AP is running a story about how Giuliani rules questions about his faith about of bounds, except when he doesn't. (Don't they all do that?) Via Jonathan Chait, I see the Village Voice is questioning Giuliani's record on terrorism. (I haven't read it yet.)

(ME: No. Some questions are in bounds, and some are not)

Last month, factcheck.org cast doubt on his claims about his record on adoption.

Finally, recent poll data sheds some light on the question of how Giuliani's stance on abortion will play among Republican primary voters. Supporters and opponents alike have something to seize upon. On the one hand,"Barely four-in-ten (41%) Republican voters, including independents who lean Republican, can identify Giuliani as the GOP candidate who supports a woman's right to choose when it comes to abortion, while the rest either incorrectly named another GOP candidate (12%) or say they do not know (47%)." That suggests that pro-life opponents of Giuliani might be able to make headway by further publicizing his position. Except that: "Conservative Republicans who know Giuliani's position are about as likely to support him as those who are unaware of his position."

P.S. The Pew abortion question isn't great: It asks people to identify which GOP candidate supports legal abortion, instead of simply asking what Giuliani's position on abortion is. But it's what we've got.