Big deal. The teabaggers have hated him for a long time now. It's the only strategy he can follow.

You know, I just don't see this country electing a member of Magic Underpants, Inc. Those of us on the left, well, we call them Magic Underpants, Inc., and those on the right don't think they're real Christians. Mitt demonstrated the last time around that he's not capable of making a Kennedy-esque explanation of his religion; I think it's very unlikely that he'd get much traction without that.

Romney has so many strikes against him at this point that it doesn't really matter what he does.

"The real question will be if a semi-credible candidate breaks off the teabaggers into their own third party."

Of course they will. Looking good for Obama in 2012.

If unemployment doesn't drop in the next year Obama's going to have a hard time winning against anyone.

American's vote with their pocket books.

America's don't necessarily vote with their pocketbooks, it's more they always go for the most optimistic candidate unless some kind of extraordinary outside circumstance intervenes. I think the national media, and moderate republicans, are underestimating how much evangelicals dislike mormons. I just don't see a lot of these people voting for someone they consider a "fake christian," it's on this to watch glenn beck, it's another to vote for him as commander and chief over a bunch of southern evangelicals.

I think this has less to do with distancing himself from the Tea Party and more to do with protecting himself against them. As the Massachusetts Governor who signed into law the state healthcare bill that mandates everyone have health insurance (and basically provides a public option) I don't think he would be too warmly welcomed by your typical Tea Party patriot. Running down the center is smart, but Romney is there out of necessity not strategy. The man is a gutless enough politician that he would jump on board with the Tea Baggers if he thought he could get away with it.

Every election is going to come down to the moderate independents. The trouble is that at least half of those people aren't moderate or independent, they're clueless idiots who pick a candidate based entirely on superficial factors.

In the last cycle Tea Party people voted in large numbers for mainstream candidates after their candidates lost primaries. If enough of them get disillusioned when they realize their priorities are being ignored by the mainstream GOP, they might cause problems, but so far the strategy of pretending that there's a third option and then rolling those votes back into Option 2 has worked.

The tea baggers are a lot of angry people who are being propped up as a semi-viable movement by establishment conservatives' money. If the Koch brothers and their ilk decide the tea baggers have served their purpose and pull the money, what will be left? Romney must be counting on something like that happening.

Doesn't anyone read the news?

The House of Representatives is owned by the Tea Party.

It's not some outside force...it's the current Government!

Wake up.

We're all Tea Partiers now!

Mitt Romney's demeanor is the insurmountable obstacle. His personality.

Paul, excellent use of the word "stratagem." Compliments!

I like that your headline employs The Ludlum Configuration.