So it looks as if Mitt Romney may soon have some competition for the designation of "real" conservative in the Presidential race. Today Kansas Senator Sam Brownback told George Stephanopoulos on ABC that he's moving ever closer to a White House bid: "I think there is room, on the Republican side, for somebody that's a full-scale conservative, that's an economic and fiscal and social conservative," Brownback said.

Romney has been laboring to make the case that he's the only true conservative alternative to John McCain and Rudy Giuliani. But as Election Central reported recently, a recent poll found that 53% of Evangelican Christians won't vote for a Mormon like Romney. What's more, as we've also noted here, there's some troubling evidence of social liberalism lurking in Romney's past: His mother ran for office as a pro-choice candidate 36 years ago and Romney himself has on occasion made friendly overtures to gay groups, facts which are apparently glaring liabilities for anyone hoping to win over social conservatives. Brownback is promising an announcement any day now.