Romney's on a roll, in the money and the polls

The Chicago Tribune ^ | 5/21/07 | Jill Zuckman

[Reaganesque]

BOSTON -- For Mitt Romney, the multimillionaire venture capitalist turned Olympic savior turned politician, all is going according to plan.

With an eye-popping $21 million raised in the first quarter of this year for his presidential campaign and a steady stream of television advertising, the one-term former governor of Massachusetts has caught the attention of both voters and political insiders. Star turns at the first two Republican debates gave his candidacy yet another shot of credibility.

And now, recent polls in the early-voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire show Romney surging with a double-digit lead over Sen. John McCain of Arizona and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. The Des Moines Register put Romney's standing at 30 percent, 12 points ahead of McCain and 13 points over Giuliani. A Zogby poll in New Hampshire shows Romney at 35 percent, with both McCain and Giuliani at just 19.

At Fenway Park Monday, during an interview in a corporate skybox along the first-base line, Romney said the administration's missteps in Iraq may have prolonged American involvement there and his own approach to decision-making could have shortened it.

"I think we made a number of miscalculations in the Iraq war," he said, sitting forward in a brown leather club chair. "I think we were under-prepared for what actually existed in Iraq. We were under-planned for what we would do when Saddam Hussein was replaced. We under-managed the troops, so we have created many of the difficulties and extended the conflict longer than may have been necessary."

[jmboyer1]

“”If you don’t measure something, you can’t change it,” Romney said. “The process of leadership is one of painting a vision, then saying how you’re going to get there, and then measuring whether you’re actually getting there. Otherwise, you risk only talking about great things but not accomplishing them.”—Mitt Romney

I like this quote. Most leaders miss the “vision” thing, as Bush I said. Bible says “where there is no vision, the people perish.” Nice to see a Repub who gets it. Love his business acumen...about time we have a Pres. candidate who’s made his success in the business world. Best resume of all the candidates, IMO.

[Liz]

.......recent polls in the early-voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire show Romney surging with a double-digit lead over Giuliani. The Des Moines Register put Romney's standing at 30 percent, 13 points over Giuliani. A Zogby poll in New Hampshire shows Romney at 35 percent, with Giuliani at just 19......

Presidential ================= Post-menopausal.