Romney, Thompson RSVP for CNN/YouTube debate; it'll be a full house Nov. 28

The campaign for Mitt Romney told The Buzz today that the former Massachusetts governor will attend the CNN/YouTube debate Nov. 28 in St. Petersburg. Romney had previously not said whether he would participate.

"We look forward to seeing you down there," said Kristy Campbell, a Romney spokesperson. Organizers thought Romney would show up, especially since the date was rescheduled to in part to accommodate his schedule. But folks had been getting a little antsy with the event a month away.

UPDATE: Thompson spokesman Jeff Sadosky says Thompson's in as well. "This is a unique platform to discuss the ideas and issues facing America, and Sen. Thompson is excited to be participating," Sadosky said Friday. Thompson's RSVP gives CNN a full house for the Nov. 28 event.

Comments

Can everyone just face the fact this will end up being Hillary vs. Giuliani ?

Two New Yorkers running against each other yuck. All the candidates have to do is run that ad, and the country will wake up

Does anyone still believe that Tricky Rick ok’d the homeless tent city out of the goodness of his heart?

When the CNN spotlight turns off, the box-cutter boys will clean the lot again!

I have a question for Romney:

"You were endorsed early this year by Florida Ag Commissioner Charles Bronson. Mr. Bronson's right hand man is a convicted crack user but thanks to the power of campaign contributions, Mr. Bronson keeps him close.

If elected President, will you trade cush jobs to convicted crackheads in exchange for contributions?"

I have a better question:

Mitt, a couple of months back you claimed that you would not participate in this debate because it was demeaning to the Office of the President. What made you change your mind? Is this a waffle similar to your positions on abortion and gay rights?

Here is another question for Romney

Since being governor of Massachusetts, many say that you have magically changed your position on a number of issues. Is this due to the fact that you look like a clone of David Copperfield and have magic in your blood?

Another question for Mitt

Yesterday you said you were open to a "bombardment of Iran".

Why do you insist on using WWII terminology? The term bombardment is no longer used with the advent of precision munitions. We do surgical strikes these days Mitt. Unless of course you really do mean bombardment and want our B-52s to carpet bomb Iran.

[John]

Ron Paul will win the debate, like he does every time. He will more supporters there too...

You can make fun of Mitt all you want. But he is the only individual intelligent enough to run a country as complex as ours. He is smarter than all the other candidates combined. I'm an independent and frankly don't care about abortion or so called "flips" all I care about is that he can make intelligent decisions and not offend the rest of the world. BTW if you think GW Bush got the world angry, just imagine how Rudy would get them even more upset. Rudy is the most undiplomatic person I can think of. Rudy and Bush think with their gut. Romney thinks with his head. I support Romney for the presidency.

GO MITT GO!!

Th Weekly Standard 10-27

Thanks Fred, you finally figured it out!

Now, support the normal, intelligent & conservative one please.

If you can't figure that out, call Bobby Jindal he'll know!!



The Two-Man Race
Only Rudy and Mitt have credible scenarios.
by Fred Barnes

11/05/2007, Volume 013, Issue 08

Ron Paul has been a striking presence in the Republican presidential debates. One result is he's raised an unimaginable amount of money--$5.1 million in the third quarter--for an obscure congressman from Texas. Another is he's jumped to fourth place (7.4 percent) in a New Hampshire primary poll. Yet practically no one takes him seriously as a possible Republican presidential nominee. The reason is Paul has no credible scenario for winning the nomination, much less the presidency.

Scenarios matter. They offer a way to judge the presidential race. Strong candidates can outline a sequence of likely victories or impressive finishes in the caucuses and primaries that would lead to the nomination. Weak candidates can't. And, to be clear, a strategy and a scenario aren't the same. A scenario is a vision of a candidate's path to victory.

At this point, with the first voting just nine weeks away, only two candidates--Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney--have credible scenarios. In that sense, the Republican campaign has become a two-man race, Rudy vs. Mitt. John McCain and Fred Thompson may not like this. They have scenarios, too, but theirs aren't terribly credible.

This means just what you think it does. More likely than not, the Republican nominee will be Giuliani or Romney. I remember the old Ken Murray television show in the 1950s that would cut to Hollywood and Vine, where, it was said, "anything can happen and usually does." That's true of politics as well. Still, the best bet is Rudy or Mitt.

There are three things

to keep in mind when evaluating the presidential race in 2008. First, national polls don't matter at all. Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and John Kerry polled at 13 percent or less nationally before the primaries, then locked up the Democratic nomination a few weeks later. State polls provide a better clue of what may happen.

Second, the primaries are a dynamic process. Win in the early states and you have a far greater chance of capturing the later primaries--and the nomination. Third, money is more important than ever in 2008. If a long shot like McCain or Thompson or even Mike Huckabee wins in Iowa (January 3) or New Hampshire (January 8) or South Carolina (January 19), there won't be enough time for him to raise the funds needed to compete effectively in Florida on January 29 and the 20-plus primaries on February 5. Television ads are expensive, but necessary.

Romney has an early-primary strategy aimed at Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina. He's poured money into those states, broadcast TV spots, and built organizations. Fox News polls show him leading in Iowa and New Hampshire and a close second in South Carolina.

If he wins in Iowa and New Hampshire, he'll have history on his side. No presidential candidate in either party has failed to win the presidential nomination after finishing first in Iowa and New Hampshire--that is, since 1972 when Democrat Edmund Muskie managed the dubious feat of winning both but not the nomination. Romney also has the best shot to win the Michigan primary on January 15. He grew up in Michigan and his father George was governor. The other Republicans have all but ignored Michigan.

CONTINUED
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9:45 dream on. Romney thinks with his head?

Strapping the dog on the roof?

Baptizing the dead from other religions?

Flip flopping on abortion?

Bombardment of Iran?

Calling in counsel to decide about war?

You have to be kidding

1:25 you are still out loose? When will your family Baker Act you?

This will be the first time Fred Thompson has ever been excited about anything. Fred doesn't even get excited about Jeri