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Howie’s Wed. column (it wasn’t on the website before)

Another silver tarnishes Mitt’s campaign
By Howie Carr | Wednesday, January 30, 2008 | http://www.bostonherald.com

Another week, another $10 million.

That’s the way it goes for Mitt Romney these days. Every week or 10 days, he’s in front of the best supporters money can buy, trying to put a shine on another very expensive sneaker. Last night’s wake was in St. Petersburg, Fla., which used to be known as God’s waiting room.

“The economy,” he said, “is in my DNA.”

So, apparently, is finishing second.

All these weeks, all these silvers, Mitt has been trying to get it down to a one-on-one, with John McCain. He’s almost there. The only problem is, as the other candidates go by the wayside, they’re ganging up on him. Now Rudy Giuliani withdraws and gets ready to endorse John McCain today.

Four-on-one is Republican fun, unless you’re Mitt.

The Romney people were trying to spin it last night that coming out of Florida the two candidates were numbers 1 and 1-A.

Number 1 got 57 delegates last night.

Number 1-A got zero.

Now it’s the end of January. Mitt has to file his fourth-quarter FEC report, revealing how much of his personal fortune he spent in the last three months of 2007. He was up to $17 million on Sept. 30. The over-under on Mitt’s personal expenditure in the fourth quarter: $18 million.

And Mike Huckabee, the Christian leader who never turns the other cheek to Romney, says in Missouri that he’ll continue to campaign in the snake-handling belt.

“We’re playing all nine innings of this ballgame,” Huckabee said last night in St. Louis.

He’ll drain just enough votes among the Hell-No-We-Ain’t-Fergettin’ crowd to keep the Straight Jacket Express rolling along. His job is to do to Mitt Romney in the Southern states what Fred Thompson did to him in South Carolina.

No wonder McCain blew Huckabee another wet kiss last night. It’s like the Super Bowl quarterback buying rings for his offensive linemen.

Mitt just can’t quite put it together. This was his big shot. He fumbled it away in Iowa and New Hampshire, but Michigan gave him another shot. If Mitt wins last night, McCain’s money dries up. Now every fat-cat in the GOP holds his nose and writes McCain a check. Mitt has to write another personal check for $10 million or $15 million.

But for what? He’s ahead here in Massachusetts, and in Colorado, and . . . that leaves 20 other states.

How many does he have a shot in? With no Giuliani, McCain becomes the prohibitive favorite in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut. He was already ahead in California and Arizona.

Mitt looked down last night. His lucky lumberjack shirt was gone, replaced by the traditional business suit. Not a hair of his full Reagan comb-back was out of place. It’s gotta be driving him crazy, the way old man McCain keeps rope-a-doping him, getting outspent by Mitt 3- or 4- or 10-to-1, but still edging him even as the field of candidates contracts. John McCain, who was “left for dead” all those months ago, as the cliche goes.

You knew Mitt was having a bad night when he got a chant going with his crowd and the refrain was, “They haven’t!”

They haven’t, all right. Gotten their money’s worth, that is. The other candidates’ supporters chant “Yes we can!” and “Mac is back!” Mitt’s coatholders yell, “They haven’t!”

The worst thing is, John McCain is the Bob Dole of 2008, and everyone knows it. How come yesterday morning it was Gov. Crist of Florida doing the network liveshots, not Gramps McCain?

Poor Mitt. He’d better win the debate tonight in Simi Valley. Just wing it, forget the consultants. When it comes to delivering, they haven’t.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/opinion/columnists/view.bg?articleid=1069845