You forgot Paul in 2012. Doesn't fit your narrative I guess. But I agree this year's field is not worse in quality than 2008. This year we have had 4 governors (including Pawlenty) including 2 who served 8 or mote years, a Speaker, a former senator, and 2 Congressmen that represent large grassroots movements, plus Cain. In 2008 we had 2 sitting senators (including Brownback), 1 former senator, 2 governors and a big-time mayor, and 3 Congressmen who at the time were fringe candidates. 8 of this years crop on paper represent serious candidates, while only 6 qualified in 2008.

Well Mr. Geraghty, it does become a little silly, having previously implied the Iowa Caucus has no real serious meaning, in delegates, etc., now to consider it's importance - using the Caucus to try to question Mr. Romney's political influence. It sets up a vivid contradiction.

Romney gaining another healthy vote in Iowa, means he is competitive Nationally. He can attract votes in all places, and his organization is still intact and very devoted.

We also know some of the unfortunate bias in the Iowa populace with votes Republican taking part in the Caucus. As you said, the Caucus is only determined by a few, roughly a 100,000 or so. If it were a voting Primary similar to NH, there is a good chance Mr. Romney would have won in 2008 handily, having this potential again in 2012.

We shall see...

It is just the ugly reality, even a Gingrich Campaign official was forced to resign over this garbage which sill exists amongst us.

"Newt Gingrich's political director in Iowa is out of a job after making disparaging comments about Mitt Romney and his Mormon faith. Craig Bergman resigned Tuesday after his comments, made in a focus group prior to joining Gingrich's campaign last week, came to light. Among other things, Bergman had said an unnamed national pastor was on an "anti-Mitt Romney bandwagon."A lot of the evangelicals believe God would give us four more years of Obama just for the opportunity to expose the cult of Mormon," Bergman said, according to the website TheIowaRepublican.com, which hosted the focus group. "There's a thousand pastors ready to do that."

It is truly sad it exists, and it isn't conservative (or even American).
But just as in 2008, it remains a regretful factor in Iowa.

So Shirley is compromised, is that it?

How many millions has Romney devoted exclusively to Iowa, this go 'round added to the last go 'round?

We're talking ten million plus, aren't we?

Again, that's just exclusive to Iowa.

How many appearances, how many speeches, how many diners has he stopped by, how much campaigning effort, how many meetings, how much focus grouping, how many campaign studies, again all for Iowa and Iowans?

Yet the guy can't exceed 25% in polling.

If that isn't the definition of a busted flush I don't know what is..........................

ALL of the ginning up of support, all of the trashing of any and all opposition, all of the accusations of bigotry against his opponents, all of the naked buying up of support behind the scenes, and with it all, WITH IT ALL, he can't exceed the vote total of four years previous.

And this is the guy we're supposed to go with?

Has NR lost its mind?

Indeed...

Amazing to see some like Drek, ignore the millions spent by so many others.

Democrats are ones who will focus on 'wealth' lost in a misguided Class Warfare dividing all.

But the irony is, as Obama vilifies the rich for his own gain, he and Hillary Clinton spent more to be elected to the Presidency (in the Primary as well), than any other Candidates in US History.

If anyone "bought" an election, it was Barack Obama.

It's pure coincidence that a critique of Gingrich's ego is provided by an individual bearing the name of a Star Trek captain... :-P

In any case, leadership and ego are not mutually exclusive. Clinton and Gingrich, as President and Speaker, were not short on ego - but, despite public differences that made plenty of fodder for the 24-hour news cycle, they also got a fair amount accomplished. Gingrich had issues with his own caucus, as Speakers often do: a two-party system creates some pretty broad umbrellas, as Nancy Pelosi would attest if you asked her about Blue Dog voting habits. It's worth pointing out that Gingrich did a fantastic job as a minority Whip before becoming Speaker, and that many of his erstwhile colleagues who remain in Congress and speak bitterly of him have hardly covered themselves in glory in his absence from Capitol Hill.

Mitt Romney's ability to turn around the Salt Lake City Games shows he has acumen as a fundraiser and as a marketer of intangibles; both handy skills for a politician, but neither of them technically worth filing under the heading of political leadership. We've had a President in Obama who excels at getting 'buy-in' from relatively uninformed voters, but fails dismally at living up to his own promises. Romney displays the same unappealing combination of specious car-salesman sincerity and rootless lack of follow-through. Something like the Olympics, or a primary campaign, has its own momentum, but that fizzles out quickly. Generating support for change that is necessary but unpopular is an entirely different thing, as Obama has discovered and Gingrich already knew.

Me too

I would be interested to know where he stood in the final polls prior to the 2008 caucus. Did he over- or underperform those numbers? Was his share of the caucus vote higher or lower than the polls anticipated? I would expect that he has a better chance to outperform the polling this year than he did then, although he spent significantly more time visiting the state in 2008, if I recall correctly.

Out of 4 recent Republican nominees, who ran for nomination several times, 3 performed worse during the round they won the nomination than during the previous caucus. In percentage points, how many or more or less percentage points of total vote the candidate got on the winning round compared to the previous:

Reagan: -13%
GHWB: -13%
Dole: -11%

Only candidate who did better in the year when he won the nomination than in previous caucuses:
McCain:+8%