WASHINGTON The Republican who may have the strongest shot of winning the White House, at least in the eyes of President Obama and his advisers, is Mitt Romney. Now, if Mr. Romney could only persuade Republican voters.
No candidate in the Republican field has spent more time preparing to be president than Mr. Romney. ... He relentlessly studied what went wrong with his 2008 race and has unquestionably become a better candidate, as he showed during back-to-back debates in September.
He has managed, so far, to finesse his way around the concerns of ideological shape-shifting that once seemed a deal breaker to many conservatives. Questions about the health care plan he signed into law as governor of Massachusetts have not overshadowed his candidacy. And he has not been pushed to address his Mormon faith, which created a stir four years ago and prompted him to give a speech seeking to explain his beliefs.
Its human nature to think the grass is always greener somewhere else, said Tim Pawlenty, the former governor of Minnesota, whose presidential candidacy ended when he was overtaken by the rise of Representative Michele Bachmann. He endorsed Mr. Romney and predicted that other Republicans would too, saying, Hes the most capable, most knowledgeable and most electable candidate.
Source:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/29/us/politics/romney-endures-more-gop-flirtation-with-alternatives.html
