"Decisive Lead Amongst Conservatives!" According to the newest Rasmussen numbers Mitt Romney now leads the GOP race for the nomination - NATIONALLY, and is up 15 points amongst "conservatives." McCain leads amongst moderates - but most of the primary races here on out are closed races which will diminish moderate/independent turnout for the GOP race. Mitt's strategy, though it hit a sizable speed bumps in Iowa AND New Hampshire, is on the verge of complete fruition. The singularly important task ahead of him being - to win Florida. If McCain loses Florida, though he will be around to make more noise, he will be all but finished. It Mitt wins, he must still compete heavily on Tsunami Tuesday, but he will be in position to raise additional money to complete his war chest. Huckabee's loss in South Carolina appears to have been his ultimate undoing, which in all reality could be blamed easily enough on Thompson given the similarity in the exit poll responses from Thompson and Huckabee's supporters. Had Thompson not been in the race, Huckabee would have easily defeated McCain by a wide margin (perhaps 10%).
Now that McCain, who traditionally only wins "open" primaries, is faced with convincing the conservative base of the GOP primary voters that he isn't the wild, undisciplined, arrogant, half-crazed, tempest in a teapot he has been for the last eight years. But the track record is long.
And when you associate your name with more legislation (McCain/Feingold, McCain/Kennedy, McCain/Lieberman) with your opponent's co-signature's than from your own party's there's bound to be backlash. Even in this election cycle it appears that while McCain says ONE THING about border security, the staffing of his campaign advisers tells a VERY different story. A good boxing of the ears in Florida and Senator Cranky can finally put the "running for president" demons to rest, and just focus on enjoying the remainder of his time in the Senate and with his wife and family...
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