Time magazine's Joe Klein on the "dissapointing campaign" of Mitt Romney:
Romney is on a roll right now. He jumped ahead of the pack in recent Iowa polls, a consequence of television advertising - he was on the air in Iowa before any of his competitors - and his strong debate performances. He has the money to play big in the Iowa straw poll this August. He has a perfectly Republican demeanor, sunny and businesslike, and a perfectly Republican stump speech. He tells a Chamber of Commerce lunch in Rochester, N.H., about how he successfully applied business principles like "strategic auditing" to the problems of Massachusetts. And then he hits the Reaganite stations of the cross: "I believe Republican policies will strengthen America, and Democratic policies will weaken it." It's the same old strength: stronger military, stronger economy (through lower taxes), stronger families. "You know," he often says, very Reagan, "there are people out there who actually believe America is great because of its government." Gasps and groans. "Well, we have a great system of government, but America is great because of" - pause for effect, cue passion - "its people."
And yet, says Klein, "There isn't the slightest hint of courage or conviction in his stump act. It's a candidacy for the era before 2001, before things got serious. And his success or failure will be a reflection of how serious the electorate is in 2008."
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