Associated Press writer Glen Johnson sucinctly captures the promise and peril of being Mitt Romney trying to win the Republican presidential nomination despite only four years of experience in politics.
On the plus side, Romney's mostly nonpolitical background - primarily as a venture capitalist, as well as head of the 2002 Winter Olympics - means he does not have a long history on many contentious issues. That gives him great leeway as he adopts his policy positions. At the same time, it puts him at a disadvantage with more experienced rivals.
Romney's relative lack of political experience may make him prone to gaffes which could, over time, create the image of a guy who isn't quite ready for the political big leagues...
"No human being can ever know every nuance to every issue. And the steeper the learning curve, the more likely you are to see inadvertent errors," said Dan Schnur, a Republican communications consultant in California. He worked for Pete Wilson's 1996 presidential campaign and Sen. John McCain's 2000 presidential campaign, but is not involved in the 2008 race.
"I've never seen one of these things take down a campaign, but it's critical for the candidate to show these type of things are an aberration, not a rule," Schnur said.
Working in Romney's favor: the early start to the 2008 campaign means he has many months to iron out the kinks before average voters (as opposed to political junkies and hardcore activists) really start paying attention.
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