Mitt Romney would make a great president (blog)

Mitt Romney would make a great president || RedState:
"1. Mitt Romney is smart.
2. Mitt Romney is practical.
3. Mitt Romney has had enough experience to know how to get things done, but has not been in politics so long that it has corrupted him.
4. Mitt Romney is a good communicator.
5. Mitt Romney is accomplished.
6. Mitt Romney is a good business manager, more than he is a politician. The government should be more like a business, and less political.
7. Mitt's father was a good role model.
8. John McCain is too old.
9. Mitt Romney has a good chance of winning.
10. Mitt Romney is committed to making America more competitive.
11. Mitt Romney is Ethical.
12. Mitt Romney is Earnest."

Healthcare-for-all bill is a win-win for Romney

TownOnline.com - Opinion & Letters: Healthcare-for-all bill is a win-win for Romney: "Romney wins either way, but that's not to say that the Legislature loses no matter what. If the vetoes stand, the system will have an additional $48 million problem covering the costs of the new insurance, on top of the red ink that's projected to be a concern at the end of the decade. But he hopes to be in the White House by then, and $47 million isn't that tough to handle. The benefits aren't accorded now, so a failure to restore would not outrage many people who aren't already outraged. "

Gitmo gov on the fly

BostonHerald.com - Opinion & Letters: Gitmo gov on the fly: "The Mitt Romney Anywhere But Massachusetts Tour pulled into of all places Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, yesterday as the governor looked to put another notch on his foreign policy belt. "

Off and running - the presidential hopefuls

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Off and running - the presidential hopefuls: "Also hoping to appeal to the middle ground is Governor Mitt Romney of Massachusetts. Mr Romney, a Mormon and the son of a former governor of Michigan and onetime presidential candidate, was the venture capitalist who saved the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics from financial disaster. As a Republican governor of a state with a proudly Democratic tradition, Mr Romney last week signed a law that would make Massachusetts the first state to require universal health insurance. He is against same sex marriage, and he is sufficiently pro-business to allay Republican unease."

Romney promotes abstinence education

Romney promotes abstinence education - Boston.com: "Gov. Mitt Romney promoted on Thursday an abstinence education program for Massachusetts middle schools that he says will help children make healthy and safe choices about when to have sex.

The Republican governor, who is considering a run for the White House in 2008, said abstinence is an important part of sexual education that is often left out of class discussion. He argued that teaching children to postpone having sex until they're married helps them preserve self-esteem and build character."

Romney setting off for Guantanamo

Romney setting off for Guantanamo - The Boston Globe: "Governor Mitt Romney plans to visit the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay today for a tour of the detention center, an intelligence briefing, and a possible meeting with Massachusetts troops -- a trip that was viewed immediately as an effort to bolster his foreign policy credentials in anticipation of a presidential campaign."

Mighty Mitt Romney

The American Spectator: Mighty Mitt Romney: "And so what does Barbara Anderson, who begged Romney to 'save the Commonwealth,' think of his decision to move on after a single term?

'Well, it's nice having him as governor, but, to me, it's important to look at the big picture,' she said. 'It's important to have a good president, too, and someone in the White House doing a good job for the country is doing a good job for Massachusetts. I can't imagine why anyone would put themselves through all that, but if he decides to, he'll have my support.'"

A long article that appeared as the cover story of the March 2006 issue of The American Spectator.

Romney, Huckabee to visit Guantanamo Bay

Romney, Huckabee to visit Guantanamo Bay - Boston.com: "Gov. Mitt Romney and Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee plan to visit on Friday the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, where they'll tour the detention center, attend an intelligence briefing and meet with Defense Department officials.

Romney, chairman of the Republican Governors Association, and Huckabee, who chairs the National Governors Association, are both Republicans weighing a run for president in 2008."

Reach Upward: Is Mitt Romney's Religion Fatal to His Candidacy?

Reach Upward: Is Mitt Romney's Religion Fatal to His Candidacy? (blog): "Unlike MWAO, I welcome a Romney candidacy. Will my religion get beat up? Probably. Will my religion come out better in the long run, even if Mitt loses? I believe the answer to this is yes, as long as Mitt turns out to behave respectably and admirably. He will be held to a much higher standard than other candidates. I hope he is up to it. I believe that as the campaign progresses, more and more people will moderate their stance on religion in politics, which would be good for the country."

Most discount Romney in 2008 for his Mormonism? A Mormon blogger gives reasons why this might not be.

Romney’s greatest gaffes

Romney’s greatest gaffes — so far - News - The Phoenix: "In a hubba-hubba Newsweek column, Jonathan Alter suggested that, thanks to the cautionary example of Romney’s father, George, Mitt is “not likely to be gaffe-prone” as he seeks the presidency. (George Romney’s 1968 presidential campaign fizzled after he claimed US officials had subjected him to “brainwashing” regarding the Vietnam War.)

Au contraire, Mr. Alter. Mitt Romney has many strengths, but gracefully dodging mistakes isn’t one of them. In fact, as we here in Massachusetts know firsthand, the governor is something of a political klutz. Consider these classic Romney blunders:"

The Straight Scoop on Willard Mitt Romney

The Straight Scoop on Willard Mitt Romney || RedState (blog): "The 2008 primaries are still 22 months away, but I think I have settled on a candidate to support already. The various pros and cons of all the available nominees have already been discussed at length, so I do not wish to rehash those same arguments again. Instead, I want to clear up some of the confusion about who I think, right now anyways, is our best candidate for President in 2008: Willard Mitt Romney."

Saving healthcare

FORTUNE: Saving healthcare, one uninsured person at a time: "Ever since Republican Governor Mitt Romney got his plan for universal health coverage through Massachusetts's Democratic legislature in early April, it has been hailed as a breakthrough - and as the ideal platform for a problem-solving GOPer who wants to be President."

What the doctor ordered?

- toledoblade.com - Editorial - What the doctor ordered?: "MASSACHUSETTS may have achieved a political miracle with its groundbreaking health-insurance law, but a larger question persists: Can the state’s novel mandate for universal coverage survive the seemingly immutable economic forces that make health care increasingly expensive in the United States?

The new law, signed by Republican Gov. Mitt Romney after approval by a Democrat-controlled legislature, requires an estimated 515,000 uninsured Bay State residents to acquire medical coverage by July 1, 2007, or face tax penalties."

Canada Creep Strikes Mitt Romney, Atlantic Coast: Amity Shlaes

Bloomberg.com: Canada Creep Strikes Mitt Romney, Atlantic Coast: Amity Shlaes: "Mitt Romney is one bold Republican.

The fact that his party colleagues aren't ready yet to nationalize health care in the rest of the country doesn't faze the Massachusetts governor. No, he is simply going to go ahead and nationalize it right there in Massachusetts.

Well OK, not nationalize it. But mandate insurance in a way that makes clear that further government subsidies will be necessary down the road. And talk about the same plan for the rest of the country, a plan whose results will only be visible later, when the governor has already, presumably, made it to the White House."

Why Washington Can't Fix Health Care -- Page 1

TIME.com: Why Washington Can't Fix Health Care -- Page 1: "The recently passed universal health care legislation in Massachusetts was the rare reform that drew praise from both sides of the political aisle, from Senator Hillary Clinton to conservative activist Grover Norquist. The product of months of negotiations between the state’s primarily Democratic lawmakers and Republican Governor and Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, it would require the state’s residents to have health insurance or face tax penalties, while employing a mix of tax credits and expansions of programs for low-income residents that experts think will result in most of the state’s estimated 550,000 uninsured getting some kind of health coverage."

Column: Romney betrays red roots for blue legacy

Meadville Tribune - Column: Romney betrays red roots for blue legacy: "My problem is that as Romney rides off to do battle for the White House, he leaves behind a state party without much more of a pulse than it had when he arrived. My problem is that, come Election Day this November, four years after Romney vowed to rebuild the Massachusetts GOP, the chances are slim and none that there will be any more Republicans in the Legislature than there are now. Yes, the party promises, in full political spin mode, that there will be more challengers forthcoming. But at this point they are few, and those out there are, in large measure, inexperienced and underfunded. The party just recently scraped up candidates for attorney general and secretary of state. It has nobody running for treasurer. And now is not the time to be grooming candidates anyway. That should have started the day after the elections in 2004."

Four Problems

Weekly Standard: Four Problems: "Having fled Washington without resolving the immigration problem, congressmen got home just in time to see Mitt Romney, the Republican who managed to get himself elected governor in Massachusetts, appear on their television to announce passage of his new healthcare plan. Never mind the details, which may make the scheme unworkable in the end. More important is the fact that it promises universal coverage. Romney, who makes no bones about his plans to seek the Republican party's presidential nomination, was saying to Americans that he can arrange insurance coverage for every citizen of his state. Voters around the country will undoubtedly ask their representatives, 'If Romney can do it, why can't you?'"

Andy Card to Run Romney '08 Campaign? by John Gizzi

HUMAN EVENTS ONLINE - Andy Card to Run Romney '08 Campaign? by John Gizzi: "
So will Card soon re-enter presidential politics as captain of the Romney team? No one is sure. Kaufman recently told me, 'Andy hasn't spent two seconds in the last five years worrying about anything other than George W. Bush or thinking of himself. On April 15, he will walk out of the White House, pay his taxes, and go relax in Poland Springs, Maine. Beyond that, no one knows what he will do -- including Andy.'"