Mitt Romney leading the Polls in Iowa and New Hampshire

According to a recent article by the Associated Press' Glen Johnson, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has recently "propelled himself to the top of the polls" in the primary Caucus sites of Iowa and New Hampshire by using a combination of solid organizational skills, $4 million in advertising, and an aggressive approach. This bids good news for Romney supporters, as the Iowa and New Hampshire caucuses will probably prove to be Romney's key supporting grounds to tackle the other Republican nominees, and secure a run for the Presidency in '08.

Scott Reed, who managed Republican candidate Bob Dole's 1996 Presidential Campaign, was quoted as saying, "There's a long way to go, but to date he's running the most logical, thought-out, structured campaign. He's marching in the right cadence, he's raising the money, he's spending it wiser and he seems to be on track." Long-time supporter of Romney should not be surprised by this evaluation from member's of Romney's own political party; his reputation as a Financial Capitalist make his ability to manage funds among his greatest strengths as a candidate for the Presidency. As a partner at Bain Capital, Romney consistently saved hundreds of companies millions or billions of dollars each year, helping some of America's biggest brand names, such as Staples and Domino's Pizza, avoid early bankruptcy. Such strengths will be greatly needed in a President who will likely have much voting capacity with financial issues such as war spending, social security, tax cutting, etc. His skills as a Venture Capitalist will be greatly appreciated by the current rising generation who are desperately looking for something to support them through retirement as Social Security becomes a way of the past.

Romney has been constantly criticized by opponents and even member of his own party as a "political flip-flopper," citing instances that he has "changed his position entirely" on such issues as abortion, embryonic stem-cell research, and gay-rights, as well as enduring continuing attacks on his Mormon religion, most recently by southern Evangelists who consider the faith to be a cult.

But none of those issues currently seem to matter, as Romney's popularity in Iowa and New Hampshire continues to sky rocket, and his mass production of DVDs and glossy fliers have flooded citizen mail boxes, and made the Romney name a common household term in these critical Republican primary states. His name has become so popular in Iowa that opponents Rudy Guiliani and John McCain, also running for the Republican Presidential nominee, have recently decided that they will forego the Aug. 11 Iowa straw poll, citing that it would be nothing but "a political beauty contest that Romney and his team [have] targeted."

Mitt Romney, as these statistics can validate, has shown himself to be the man who can best handle the financial and political stresses of a Presidential campaign, the man who can most effectively use his Advertising dollars, and the man who can raise funds in the greatest capacity among the Republican candidates, and possibly among all of the current candidates for the Presidential nominee, whether Republican, Democrat, or Independent. He is a moderate Republican who can find common ground with Senators and citizens all over the country.

But what of his Mormonism? That continues to be the question looming in the back of so many political analysts brains: will the American people be willing to set aside the religous prejudices, and in many cases, bigotries, and vote for the Candidate who best exemplifies their dominantly Christian values? Only time will answer that question, but such concerns appear to be fading away as the Campaign trail becomes muddier and rockier. Responding to a recent attack on Romney's religious faith, Senator and fellow Republican presidential candidate Sam Brownback, R-Kan., stated that "although the e-mail [containing anti-Mormon sentiments] did not originate from campaign staff and was not sent from a campaign account or on behalf of the campaign, it is unfortunate and regrettable that this e-mail was forwarded by someone working for the campaign, even if for fact-checking purposes on behalf of a publication. This was against campaign policy, this will not happen again, and the staff member responsible has apologized for doing so and has been reprimanded."

Romney has continuously cited former President John F. Kennedy as a response to critics that his Mormon faith will have a greater dictate on American policies that his polished business and political career. He most often concurs with Kennedy's sentiments on whether the Oval Office will become an extension of the Vatican, stating that "he was not a Catholic running for president, he was an American running for president. There are some pundits out there that are hoping that I'll distance myself from my Church so that that'll help me politically. And that's not going to happen." Such devotion to religious faith, whether it is a faith shared by you or not, should be applauded, and demonstrates a remarkable sense of stability in a future President of the United States of America.