I repeat, Romney is not going to run. Yes, he does want to be president, I don't deny that. But with Jeb essentially in, with Walker, Christie, and Rubio making serious steps toward entering, and with Kasich/Perry/Ryan/Pence as solid establishment alternatives, Romney's role, which is to prevent a fringe candidate from being nominated, is obsolete because there are candidates already nearly in the race preventing that. Therefore, Romney will stay out.
Romney shouldn't fear any of them.
Jeb is out of practice. He hasn't run a campaign since 2002. Campaigning has completely changed since then. The GOP is a very different place since then. He's not ready for prime time anymore. The only really good campaigner in that family is Dubya, who vowed never to lose another election after his 1978 congressional race. Poppy Bush just waited his turn. Jeb and George P. let their last name do the talking.
Scott Walker can offer red meat to the base, but he lacks charisma. Romney's biggest threat from Walker is the possibility that the Kochs would throw their hat in Walker's ring, but he has his own friends with deep pockets.
Christie is damaged goods. He doesn't know how to win a real GOP primary where social conservatives and rural voters have to be catered to. He's obnoxious.
Rubio has some skeletons in his closet that would more likely than not come tumbling out and allow him to implode in spectacular 2012-style fashion. He's too much of an unknown quantity.
Kasich is trying too hard to distance himself from the GOP and seems to be deliberately saying things that are going to be off-putting to primary voters. He could be this cycle's Jon Huntsman - a successful governor who gets a lot of media hype only to fall flat on his face.
Perry is going to stay in the race long enough to sell another book and earn a Fox News slot and then he's gone.
Pence and Ryan would probably rather stay in their current jobs.
