In another Townhall one-on-one conversation, former New Hampshire Governor and Romney campaign surrogate John Sununu discussed his new nickname ("the honey badger") and offered his assessment of the presidential race. Sununu said it was wise for Mitt Romney to focus on a message of "President Obama's a nice guy, but he's failed as president," but emphasized in no uncertain terms that he isn't willing to cut Obama the same amount of slack:
"It's smart for the candidate to maintain that tone. Since there are irresponsible people like me out there, I don't have to maintain that tone. This president is not a nice guy. He doesn't tell the truth, he allows people attack dishonestly, he lets his people use language that includes the word 'felon' in describing Mitt Romney as a candidate, he lets people get the impression that somehow Mitt Romney was in collusion with acts that caused the death of a woman -- that's not a nice guy. That's a failed presidency who's desperate and doing anything to get re-elected. Governor Romney is right to be nice. I don't have to be nice."
Sununu also indicated that despite the weather complications in the gulf, Team Romney needs to exploit its convention spotlight to showcase its candidate and drive a finely-honed message. Convention organizers insisted again last night that the revised three-day program will begin as planned tonight, culminating in messages from Ann Romney and Gov. Chris Christie. Stay tuned to the Tipsheet for wall-to-wall coverage of the RNC, live from Tampa.