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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....

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 R...

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 milit...

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 leas...

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 in...

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 ...

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 politi...

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!  

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 ...

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 stat...

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 yo...

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. ...

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. ... ...

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, Thomps...

August 11, 2007, 1:04 pm Make Way for the Fred Heads By Michael Luo

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 pe...

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....

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...

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)?

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 a...

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 ...