I don’t see a win for Romney in IA or NH doing anything but helping him tread water unless he gets 50% or more of the vote. We are talking momentum here. When everybody expects you to win, it doesn’t give you much of a bump because they’ve already discounted it and moved to the next race. If he wins decisively in a early southern or western state like SC, then we know he’s for real.
I understand that expectations are higher, and so he has more to lose and less to win, BUT...if you are in the lead, you have to tread water. That's called winning. Earn delegates, eat up the clock. He'll be tested down south, but how would he rather arrive at that test, on a winning streak or not?