And when they discover his father was actually born in Mexico, he'll have a second strike against him among the social conservatives. "That's funny, he doesn't look brown."

Back in '05 the Globe reported that he would base the presidential operation out of Michigan, not Massachusetts. And his right-wing defenders are going to tire quickly of saying things like this:

Romney has always said he has evolved on these issues over the years ... [Emphasis added]

Can't wait for two or three years from now when he teams up with Lincoln Chafee and Christine Whitman to ask, 'Where did my party go?'

Romney would've been better off not entering politics. And Massachusetts would've been much better off.

Romney might have had a shot at things if he'd played himself as a social moderate, fiscally conservative guy with a high competence factor (which will be huge in 2008 after 8 years of Bush.) He could have said he's for gays having an equal place in society but not gay marriage, and for 'states rights' on abortion, without excessive contradictions.

As it is, he tried painting himself farther right socially, and ended up looking like he'd say anything to get elected. (Of course, this impression is created by the fact that he will say anything to get elected.)

I have little doubt Romney will not drop out, and may wind up positioning himself for a VP slot.

It's a shame, really, that Romney tried to ditch his earlier moderate roots. Not that I'd vote for him (despite being Mormon -- I'm more of a Harry Reid type politically than a Mitt Romney, and definitely not an Orrin Hatch), but I think he's done a disservice to himself by trying to buck his earlier moderate leanings. If he'd held that line he could have been the moderate foil to someone like McCain. Instead he'll be washed out in the noise of a McCain/Giuliani deathmatch (I'm guessing that Giuliani will be McCain's strongest contender, prior behavioral issues notwithstanding).

I believe that any Republican Mormon candidate would have a very difficult time getting elected in a primary in the South. I also think that this would be true despite efforts by various Conservative Religious Right figures to support such a candidate -- dislike of the church runs too deep to be overshadowed by those sorts of endorsements. There's too much anti-Mormon literature in circulation, and too much anti-Mormon preaching. It's almost a moral issue for those voters.

That's way too easy.

Let's get serious. Would you prefer Romney or Lott? Romney or DeLay? Romney or a host of Republicans?

I think it's clear that there are far worse characters than Romney.

If he stuck to his moderate self, he would have had a lot to offer.