Advice for Gov. Romney

As the most junior of junior advisers, Precinct Captain -- Davenport City 41, it is my counsel to play nice with John McCain from here through Super Tuesday. The well organized Romney machine has highlighted his record and forced him into important flip-flops on the Alito nomination and the Bush tax cuts.

As Ron Paul pointed out in last night's debate, there isn't a sliver of difference between McCain and Romney on the war against Islamic jihadists and excessive government spending, and these are two of the most important issues to unite many Americans in November. These two alone make Sen. McCain more palatable than a potential Democrat or third party candidate.

I would like to see Ground Game's bloggers provide post-mortems on the stalled candidacies. I think Romney's would begin with being completely unknown a year ago with no natural base -- unless you count Mormons, venture capitalists, or MA Republicans who might combine to make up 0.5% of GOP primary voters.

In 1976, the GOP clashed between its standard bearer, Jerry Ford, and its new idea guy, Ronald Reagan. In the end, Reagan supported Ford, but didn't sway from his message and this gave birth to a bold new America just four years later.

NH, SC, and FL, have already spoken and believe it is John McCain's turn. Many politico types believe this is a great move for the party, as McCain enjoys national name recognition and appeals to a wide-swath of independents and moderates.

In the meantime, the GOP needs to find its new idea guy. Mitt Romney will have at least four years to prove that he is that person, but I hope there are others who embark on this journey.