Romney has announced the leadership for his AZ team. Go here for details.

Nancy at "Evangelicals For Mitt" was kind enough to post part of my e-mail.

While I can't verify its truth, this article is interesting as it compares similarities and differences between George W. Bush and Mitt Romney. Here is its start:

When former Bush White House aides ask Karl Rove for guidance on where to throw their support in the next presidential election, he tells them President Bush is neutral about the candidates. But Bush family members, friends, and key supporters are solidly behind Mitt Romney.

Here is a fascinating Investors' Business Daily editorial defending Mitt on his stem-cell research stance and explaining why the press takes issues with him.

CBN's David Brody records this round of McCain v. Romney, with Romney winning:

Good news for Mitt Romney but for John McCain's staff and supporters, grab a chair. You're going to need to be sitting down for this. Yesterday here on The Brody File I asked readers to email me their response to this question:

"As a pro-life voter, who would you vote for? John McCain or Mitt Romney? Who do you view as the candidate that will best represent the pro-life movement?"

After being deluged by emails, the answer is Mitt Romney in a runaway. It wasn't even close. More than 90% of people who emailed me said Romney was the guy, hands down. Now, this isn't scientific of course and I realize that Romney supporters may have gotten word about my post and reacted accordingly. Nobody knows for sure. What is apparent is that those who are for Romney on the life issue, love this guy with a passion.Here's a couple samplings from the emails.

"Studies conclude that 70% of your political opinions are formed by nurture from your parents. Romney's mother was for Roe v. Wade at first, but look, the point is that I believe Romney was pro-life all along. However, there were some factors in his life that caused him to only think he was pro-abortion. I think underneath all the accusations of flip-flopping, there's a candidate who is now passionately anxious to do whatever he can to overturn Roe v. Wade. I admire how he looks as it not only as a moral issue, but as a legal issue. He thinks it was not the job of the courts to decide if abortion should be legal. I agree."

"Romney’s personal life and religion, a religion I do not share, demonstrate to me a profound love and respect for family and children. I believe he is sincerely and deeply committed to protecting the rights of the unborn."

"McCain has risked little politically with his "life" record (being from a Red State but still never being on the forefront or frontlines of the pro-life fight.) Sure he's got a "neat and tidy" voting record to refer to, but, even though he's "the king" of sponsoring new legilsation, I'm not aware of him taking a leadership role for "pro-life" causes. Plus, he's constantly shown that he's willing to "show-up" the conservative base if it suits him at the time."

"Not only has McCain expressed no qualms about embryonic stem-cell research, but his pro-life stance seems almost by default.I have found Romney's conversion story sincere and touching."

"My understanding is that when Romney ran for Governor of MA he paid lip service to the pro-choice crowd because he was running as a fiscal conservative, rather than a social conservative, in a socially liberal state. To get to the leadership positions that Romney achieved in the LDS church, he would have followed the LDS church's strict guidlines regarding the church's stand on abortion."

"The only change over the years in Mr. Romney's position on abortion has been from a reluctance to impose his personal anti-abortion convictions on others to a deeper realization of the affect of pro-choice laws on the attitudes of our society toward the sanctity of life. The circumstances giving rise to Mr. Romney's earlier decision not to oppose pro-choice legislation and to his more recent decision to oppose it demonstrate that his conversion is both genuine and unwavering."

This columnist, Sean Trende, looks at history and the large factor that competence will play in this election. Here is an exerpt:

...consider Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Romney turned around an Olympic games that seemed doomed to failure. Then as a Republican governor in a state that is famous for its liberalism, he worked with the legislature to get a market-based approach to health insurance passed, resolved a massive budget deficit, and calmed the public after a calamity in the “Big Dig” highway tunnels.

Romney oozes confidence and competence -- as a friend of mine (who now works for the governor) once commented to me: “You just hear him talk, and you think everything will be alright.”

The son of President Ronald Reagan, Michael, urged Republicans to stop looking for the perfect candidate. Here are some of his remarks:

One of the criticisms about former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney focuses on his record concerning the abortion issue. We are told by the modern day Diogenes clones that he can’t be trusted to fight abortion because he once, more or less, supported a woman’s right to butcher her baby.

It may come as a surprise to these purists, but Ronald Reagan once supported abortion too. Yet nobody ever questioned his strong pro-life credentials after his conversion to Republicanism. They accepted his sincerity. Why can’t they accept Mitt Romney’s?

Romney’s record shows he should be totally acceptable to all conservatives, yet because of one dubious question concerning the validity of his conversion to the pro-life side, he is deemed unsuitable to carry the conservative banner...

This is madness, and if it does not stop, the GOP is going to lose the presidential election in 2008. In the search for the perfect candidate we are going to end up with an imperfect candidate. Keep in mind the truism that agreement with someone on most issues and disagreement on others is seen as normal, but should you agree with someone on every single issue imaginable … well… to put it plainly, psychologists say you’re nuts.

James Bopp, Jr., a prominent pro-life lawyer who is now advising Romney in a volunteer capacity (and who recently argued against the McCain-Feingold legislation before the Supreme Court) wrote a great article in the National Review. Here is the ending:

It cannot be forgotten, however, that this is also a political question, a matter of practical choices. And what are these choices? Senator John McCain and Mayor Rudy Giuliani are the other leading candidates for the Republican nomination. Barring the unlikely emergence of some conservative alternative in the next few months, the choice will be between Giuliani, McCain, and Romney. While both Giuliani and McCain would be vastly superior to any of the prospective Democrats, there are serious questions about the policy positions of both, and not just on social conservative issues.

Giuliani is simply not a social conservative. He is pro-choice, pro-partial birth abortion, and pro-special rights for homosexuals. He is also pro-gun control. Senator McCain opposes the federal marriage amendment, supports embryonic stem-cell research, and was a ringleader of the Gang-of-14 compromise that made it easier for Democrats to block President Bush’s judicial nominees. Also, he is the principal sponsor of the McCain-Feingold bill, which imposes severe limits on the participation of citizens groups and political parties in our representative democracy.

It is unlikely that there will be any social conservative in this race to rival Giuliani and McCain other than Governor Romney. And Romney’s record on other conservative issues is impressive as well. He has demonstrated his administrative ability in successfully managing a variety of organizations in the private (his venture-capital firm), the nonprofit (Salt Lake City Olympics), and the public (as governor) arenas. Romney’s views on economic and foreign affairs are thoroughly conservative, his ability to effect them is enviable, and, just as importantly, his skill at articulating them is superb.

Whatever one thinks about Romney’s conversion, and I believe it is sincere, the fact remains that Romney opposes public funds for embryo-destructive research that McCain and Giuliani support. Romney has fought for a federal marriage amendment and McCain and Giuliani oppose one. There is the simple question of whether social conservatives want someone who is currently on their side or someone who currently opposes them.

The only criticism I have of this wonderful piece if the following statement:

The Mormon religion, while having tenets that Christians do not share, is profoundly conservative in its support for life, family, and marriage.

It should correctly state "while having tenets that other Christians do not share" as the LDS faith, or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Christian, though not of the Protestant mold.

Romney continues to impress the Religious Right. After meeting (along with McCain, though separately) with the Rev. Bob Schenk, the president of the National Clergy Council and Faith and Action, this is what the Reverend had to say (thanks to EFM):

"I was able to get a read of these two men away from the cameras, the reporters and rah-rah audiences. These were honest, candid dialogues on critically important aspects of Governor Romney's and Senator McCain's personal and political principles. We got a pretty good assessment of where they are on the key issues for traditional Christians and particularly for Evangelicals. I was impressed by both, but especially Mitt Romney."

CBN's David Brody previews Romney's first TV ad which will begin airing tomorrow in Iowa, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Michigan and Florida.

While it's not necessarily anything new, I guess the AP hasn't picked up on it before as they announce Jeb Bush is likely backing Romney. Click here for the article.

Romney defends his faith in Florida:

Romney charmed many seniors with his energetic speaking style, professed love for his ''sweetheart'' wife of 37 years, and conservative philosophy touting smaller government. He showed poise when a heckler attacked him for being a Mormon:

``You sir, you are a pretender. You do not know the Lord.''

The audience booed the heckler.

''One of the great things about this land is that we have people of different faiths and different religions, but we need to have a person of faith lead the country,'' he said, as the audience gave him a standing ovation.

Mitt and Ann Romney were on ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulus" yesterday. Click on the link for exercepts.

This blogger has some interesting insights on Sen. Brownback.

Here is a well-researched and revealing look at McCain's flip-flops by Dick Polman of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Here a some highlights:

McCain used to dismiss Jerry Falwell as an "agent of intolerance," but tomorrow he will trek to a Florida religious convention to woo the guy.

McCain, until recently, was pushing for a reform law that would require conservative groups to reveal their financial donors. But, after fielding protests from evangelical Christians and antiabortion activists, McCain decided last month to strip out the provision.

McCain in 2000 assailed Bush's proposed tax cuts as a sop to the rich, and a year later, with Bush in office, he voted against those cuts, declaring that "the benefits go to the most fortunate among us, at the expense of middle-class Americans." But a year ago, he switched sides and voted to extend tax cuts for the wealthy.

McCain in 1999 said that, "even in the long term," he would not support the repeal of Roe v. Wade because "thousands of young American women would be performing illegal and dangerous operations." But last November he said that he now favored repeal because "I don't believe the Supreme Court should be legislating in the way that they did on Roe v. Wade."

McCain in 2000 was incensed when a pair of Texas businessmen, Sam and Charley Wyly, bankrolled some Bush-friendly TV ads that distorted McCain's record. McCain declared at the time that their "dirty money" did not belong in national politics. But last year, McCain decided that their dirty money belonged in his campaign; he took $20,000 and allowed them to chair a McCain fund-raiser. (McCain later had to give back the money, because, it turns out, his new friends are reportedly under federal investigation.)

McCain, who has long deplored negative politics, defended John Kerry in 2004 when the Democratic candidate's war record was being impugned by the Swift Boaters. But today, one of McCain's top advisers is GOP hardball specialist Terry Nelson, who has worked as a consultant with one of the principal Swift Boaters. Nelson also produced the notorious '06 TV ad that implied, in the Tennessee Senate race, that the black Democratic candidate cavorted with white women.

McCain in 2006 suggested that creationism was not a fit topic for the schoolroom: "I respect those who think the world was created in seven days. Should it be taught as a science class? Probably not." But he suggested the opposite in 2005 ("all points of view should be presented"), and Friday he is scheduled to be the keynote speaker at a confab sponsored by the Discovery Institute, a prominent creationism advocacy group.

Sounds like McCain is changing his tune out on the campaign trail according to CNN:

"We are paying a very heavy price for the mismanagement -- that's the kindest word I can give you -- of Donald Rumsfeld, of this war," the Arizona senator said...

"I think that Donald Rumsfeld will go down in history as one of the worst secretaries of defense in history," McCain said to applause.

The comments were in sharp contrast to McCain's statement when Rumsfeld resigned in November, and failed to address the reality that President Bush is the commander in chief.

"While Secretary Rumsfeld and I have had our differences, he deserves Americans' respect and gratitude for his many years of public service," McCain said last year when Rumsfeld stepped down.

From a press release from Romney's campaign, here is what the media is saying about Romney's announced bid for president this week:

"The Romney Campaign Is Off And Running":

The Associated Press' Liz Sidoti: "Opening the tour, Romney gave a speech to hundreds of supporters at the sprawling Henry Ford Museum outside of Detroit, the automotive capital and a site chosen for its emphasis on ingenuity that changed the nation." (Liz Sidoti, "Romney Formally Announces Presidential Candidacy," The Associated Press, 2/13/07)

- Detroit Free Press' Zachary Gorchow: "The hundreds of Michigan Republicans who enthusiastically welcomed the former Massachusetts governor as he announced his candidacy at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn were more than ready to adopt him as their favorite son." (Zachary Gorchow, "Romney Counts On Michigan Roots To Propel Him To The White House," Detroit Free Press, 2/14/07)

- The Boston Globe's Scott Helman: "The event, which Romney's campaign said drew 800 people, was rich in symbolism and nostalgia for Romney, who grew up in the nearby suburb of Bloomfield Hills and whose father, George, was an auto executive and three-term Michigan governor." (Scott Helman, "Invoking American Dream, Romney Begins Run," The Boston Globe, 2/14/07)

CNN's Candy Crowley: CNN'S WOLF BLITZER: "Candy, how did it go this morning?" CROWLEY: "It went very well." (CNN's "The Situation Room," 2/13/07)

National Journal's Charlie Cook: "I put it all in a package, that you look at Mitt Romney and you see a guy that is incredibly bright, very, very impressive." (NBC's "Nightly News," 2/13/07)

NBC's Campbell Brown: "Whatever his challenges, the frontrunners are watching his every move. Senator John McCain is expected to accelerate his plans to keep up with the early campaigning. And former Mayor Rudy Giuliani said this week he is definitely running. He is just working out the details for when he plans to make it official." (NBC's "Nightly News," 2/13/07)

MSNBC's Kevin Corke: "It was a very impassioned speech here as he was flanked by his wife Ann of 37 years, also a Michigander. And again, the Romney campaign is off and running, playing it well here in Middle America if you will, Norah." (MSNBC's "Decision 2008," 2/13/07)
Governor Romney

"An Outsider Capable Of Transforming The Government":

Fox News' Carl Cameron: "And Mr. Romney chose here, Dearborn, Michigan, the Henry Ford Museum to American Industry and Innovation to underscore his belief that he can offer some creative, sort of outside the box changes for the country." (Fox News' "Fox News Live," 2/13/07)

The New York Times' Adam Nagourney: "In his speech today, Mr. Romney alluded to his successes in business and in running the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, saying that Washington needed the kind of innovation and transformation that could come from private enterprise." (Adam Nagourney, "Romney Declares '08 Candidacy In Michigan," The New York Times, 2/13/07)

Politico's Jonathan Martin: "Seeking to capture the can-do spirit of the heartland that he was raised in, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney came to his native Michigan Tuesday to make official his bid for the presidency in a speech that touched broadly on themes of American ingenuity..." (Jonathan Martin, "Romney Uses Broad Strokes In Officially Declaring For President," Politico, 2/13/07)

Bloomberg's Heidi Przybyla: "Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney today became the first of the leading Republican hopefuls to make official his bid for the 2008 presidential nomination, defining himself as an outsider capable of transforming the government." (Heidi Przybyla, "Former Governor Romney Opens 2008 Presidential Bid," Bloomberg, 2/13/07)

The Washington Post's Anne E. Kornblut: "With a call for 'innovation and transformation in Washington,' Mitt Romney formally stepped into the Republican presidential field on Tuesday morning, portraying himself as both a political outsider and an experienced executive who would bring efficiency to the White House." (Anne E. Kornblut, "Romney Joins The 2008 Race," The Washington Post, 2/14/07)

Wall Street Journal's John Harwood: "Well, he was trying to showcase innovation and the need for innovation, his ties to Michigan, of course, where his father was a governor for three terms, was also a major auto executive." (MSNBC's "Hardball," 2/13/07)

Detroit News' Gary Heinlein: "Romney's announcement speech was laced with patriotism and morality. He called for lean government, military strength and more freedom." (Gary Heinlein, "Native Son Romney Targets 'Values Vote,'" Detroit News, 2/14/07)

Deseret Morning News' Suzanne Struglinski: "'Innovation' was main message at each stop as he told audiences that America faces some serious challenges and he believes he can think of new ways to solve them." (Suzanne Struglinski, "Romney Hits Trail In Iowa, Michigan," Deseret Morning News, 2/14/07)

Governor Romney Has A Record Of Innovation And Transformation:

ABC's Kate Snow: "In front of a new Ford hybrid and a 1963 Rambler once championed by his father, the former Governor of Massachusetts talked about the need for innovation. ... [And he] played up his resume, building up companies, saving the Salt Lake City Olympic Games from financial ruin." (ABC's "World News Tonight," 2/13/07)

Power Line Blog: "In his remarks, Romney used the museum and the technological advances it chronicles to speak about his life-long pursuit of innovation and transformation in the public and private sectors. This, I believe, will be the major theme of his campaign. And it's a valid one. I view Romney as an old-fashioned 'good government' Republican, but one who also believes in and will adhere to socially conservative values. He thus represents a synthesis of traditional 1950s Republicanism and the newer kind. ... The synthesis I've just described seems to reflect not only two strands of Republicanism, but also Romney's life experiences as a devout religious believer and a modern, cutting edge business consultant." ("Mitt's Officially In," Power Line Blog, http://powerlineblog.com, 2/13/07)

USA Today's Jill Lawrence: "Only one Republican presidential candidate has run a business, governed a state and turned an ailing Olympics into a success story." (Jill Lawrence, "Romney Kicks Off White House Run," USA Today, 2/14/07)

CBS' Gloria Borger: "The political resume is impressive. A former Republican governor of the very Democratic Massachusetts, where he passed a universal health care plan, and the man credited with saving the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, who is also telegenic." (CBS' "Evening News," 2/13/07)

Politico's Jim VandeHei: "[H]e certainly brings experience. And he has a certain following and cache among conservatives, and I think that business background, at least early on, will help him because it shows that he's been a problem-solver in the past and he's had to deal with a lot of complex issues both on the business side and as Governor of Massachusetts." (CNBC's "Street Signs," 2/13/07)

Reuters' John Whitesides: "Romney nurtured an image of competence and can-do leadership in turning around the debt-ridden Salt Lake City Olympics and during his term in Massachusetts, one of the most liberal states, where he balanced the state budget and signed a state universal health insurance law." (John Whitesides, "Republican Romney Calls For U.S. Innovation," Reuters, 2/13/07)

Des Moines Register's Lisa Rossi: "At the Des Moines event, Romney touted his experience in the business world, pointing to his tenure as president of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the 2002 Winter Olympics, where he said he turned it 'from scandal and a closed mentality to an open experience for all the world.'" (Lisa Rossi, "Romney Touts Values As He Unveils '08 Bid," Des Moines Register, 2/14/07)

The Salt Lake Tribune's Thomas Burr: "Five years ago, Mitt Romney harnessed his business talent to turn a scandal-tarred Olympic Games into a success before the eyes of the world." (Thomas Burr, "It's Official: Romney Is A Candidate," The Salt Lake Tribune, 2/14/07)

Here is an interesting piece by a journalist about her "confrontation" with McCain. She ends it with these thoughts (thanks to www.mittreport.com for the scoop):

Suddenly, with McCain out of the room, the debate in the room shifted away from Iraq and onto McCain's temper - with the consensus being summed up by Anatol Kaletsky of the London Times: "It appears that his short fuse will become a problem for him during the campaign."

Indeed, if he loses his temper over being called out for marginalizing opposition to Iraq as "far left" (the hoariest of GOP talking points), this is going to be a really long campaign trail for John McCain - offering anyone with a cellphone camera endless opportunities to make their mark on YouTube.

Recently there was a poll in the East Valley Tribune in an article about Mitt Romney. Here were the results:

McCain 40%
Rice 17%
Guiliani 13%
Romney 11%

What I found interesting was incredibly low amount of people polled (251, giving the poll a 6.3% margin of error), the fact that Rice, who has consistently said she's not running, was included in the poll, and the fact that McCain, in his home state, couldn't even muster a majority of the vote.

Thanks to www.mymanmitt.com for bringing my attention to an American Research Group poll that showed the following changes from December till now amongst voters in New Hampshire:

McCain 27% (29)
Rudy 20% (25)
Romney 20% (9)
Gingrich 11% (14)
All others - below 1%
Undecided 21% (17)
(Numbers in Parenthesis are Dec. Poll Numbers)

Romney gained 2 points from McCain, 5 from Rudy, and 3 from Gingrich (not sure where the other point came from) in a little over a month. Yes, it's still early, but given the attacks Romney's been under from both his fellow Republican candidates and the Democratic National Committee (they've sent out more press releases attacking him than any other GOP potential), that's pretty impressive he's gained such ground.

Here is an exchange between Romney and a tv interviewer in NH (thanks to EFM for the scoop):

HOST: What about Romney's switch from pro-choice to pro-life. How do you avoid the label of being a flip-flopper?

GOV. ROMNEY: In the area I used to work, which was the private sector, people who couldn't change their minds were let go--because you wanted to have people who learned from experience.

We need someone with communication skills like that in the White House.

This is a fun photo. Create your own caption.

(thanks to www.sonoranalliance.com for the scoop).

Some have said that Romney's weakness is foreign affairs/national defense (what did Reagan's resume look like in that area before he took over the Oval Office?), but after hearing Romney speak in Isreal last week, this commentator feels differently:

Joel Mowbray (jdmowbra@erols.com) continues his reports from the three-day conference in Herzliya, Israel that concluded this past Wednesday. Today Joel provides his take on Governor Romney's speech at the conference. Joel titles his report "Romney REALLY gets it."

Of all the speakers this past week at the Herzliya Conference, Israel’s premier counterterrorism and security gathering, no one dazzled ‘em like presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Other White House wannabes, including John McCain and John Edwards, also made appearances, but they spoke via satellite, whereas Romney was in the flesh. But that alone cannot explain the stark disparity in performance.

As anyone who’s seen Romney knows, he cuts an impressive physical presence, he’s charming and can deliver a hokey line with the best of them. What I had not seen from him before, though, was any real indication that he had more than a passing knowledge of foreign policy or a decent handle on the global struggle in which we are engaged.

After what I witnessed, however, it’s hard not to be a Romney cheerleader.

What was most extraordinary was how clearly Romney articulated the nature of the common enemy Israel and the United States both face. It was, by far, the most remarkable speech on the topic given by an American politician of either party, on television or in person.
One line in particular captures how thoroughly Romney understands our jihadist enemies:

“Contrary to the Baker-Hamilton Commission, resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict will not magically mollify the jihadists.”

Don’t let the clever phrasing hide the serious message. The origins of modern Islamic fundamentalism long precede the creation of the Jewish state of Israel, and Palestinians merely serve as convenient propaganda to rile the masses. And as the world has seen, radical Islamic propaganda can be found just about anywhere: ultimately untrue stories about the flushing of a Qur’an, quoting a medieval scholar, or even cartoons. Romney gets that.

It’s not just that Romney strongly supports Israel—that would hardly distinguish him in American politics—it’s that his support is rooted, at least in part, in a textured comprehension of Islamic fundamentalism. For proof, read the next few paragraphs of Romney’s remarks:

“No, what we should have realized since 9/11 is that what the world regarded as an Israeli-Arab conflict over borders represented something much larger. It was the oldest, most active front of the radical Islamist jihad against the entire West. It therefore was not really about borders. It was about the refusal of many parts of the Muslim world to accept Israel’s right to exist – within any borders.

“This distinction came into vivid focus this summer. The war in Lebanon had little to do with the Palestinians. And it had nothing to do with a two-state solution. It demonstrated that Israel is now facing a jihadist front that from Tehran through Damascus to Southern Lebanon and Gaza.

“As Tony Blair astutely put it, Hizbullah was not fighting ‘for the coming into being of a Palestinian state…but for the going out of being of an Israeli state.’

“Yet we have still not fully absorbed the magnitude of the change. As far as our enemies are concerned, there is just one conflict. And in this single conflict, the goal of destroying Israel is simply a way station toward the real goal of subjugating the entire West.”

On the topic of the most pernicious present threat, Iran, Romney also offered a coherent strategy for nonviolently combating Ahmadinejad and the mullahs. He laid out a 5-point plan that included economic and diplomatic isolation of the regime, prodding Arab states to lock arms with the West, and working with “progressive” Muslims in Iran and elsewhere to “defeat radical Islam.”

Like many, I believed that Romney’s Mormon faith would be an electoral deal-breaker, especially with evangelical Christians who dominate GOP primaries in the South. That still may prove true. But unless his competitors are able to discuss our battle against radical Islam with as much aplomb as Romney displayed in Herzliya, the former Massachusetts governor could easily stake out a leadership position on the single most important issue facing America.

That alone might not result in victory, but it will certainly help Romney make it further than many now believe is possible.

A video of the finale of Governor Romney's speech is accessible here.

Here is some analysis of the recent endorsement of Mitt Romney by pro-life giant James Bopp, Jr. by CBN's David Brody:

Mitt Romney needed this. And he got it. Jim Bopp, is the general counsel for the National Right to Life Committee and he's endorsing Mitt Romney. Read it here. This is a big deal folks. Let me give you an analogy. It's like if you were competing against a half dozen players to become the starting point guard on your college basketball team ( read: President of the United States) and Magic Johnson came out and said "I want this guy as my starting point guard." Well, people would take notice. And when you bring Jim Bopp in as your "Magic Johnson," you've just dunked in the face of your opponents. This would be called a "political facial."

Since day one, Romney has been pulling all the right levers. If they were going to make a sequel to the Tom Cruise movie, "All the Right Moves," Romney would be the lead. His press team is dynamic and he's out in front in terms of responding to criticism or world events. And now, another key endorsement from a key pro-life figure. Romney needed this because of his past pro-choice position back in 1994. But he' says that now he's "seen the light" and Bopp says he believes Romney is sincere on this issue.

Ok, so Bopp endorses Romney. You may ask, "how is that going to translate into more votes?" The answer is a little complex but here goes. Bopp works for a powerful organization. That powerful organization works in conjunction wiht other pro-family groups. It's called spreading the word. Many of these groups work so closely together that they tend to listen to one another. Bopp's word goes a long way. Already, two of my sources within these groups are saying this bodes well for Romney. A Bopp endorsement could mean that down the road other major national pro-family groups will come on board for Romney. It's a snowball effect. It translates into these groups mobilizing for Romney and putting the get out the vote operation into high gear. Thus, the votes to possibly, possiblly, put Romney over the top.