Tampa, U.S.A. — I was so very honored to be asked to address one of this week’s themes, “We can do better.”

Then, I heard some folks backstage say that after hearing me speak, the delegates will say, “We sure can do better than Huckabee” and will nominate Mitt Romney to be the next President of the United States.

Tampa has been such a wonderful and hospitable city to us. The only hitch in an otherwise perfect week was the awful noise coming from the hotel room next door to mine. Turns out it was justDebbie Wasserman
Schultz practicing her speech for the DNC in Charlotte next week. Bless her heart.

Four years ago, Mitt Romney and I were opponents. We still are, but we’re not opposing each other.

We are mutual opponents of the miserably failed experiments that have put this country in a downward spiral.

Our country was in its origin an experiment, but an experiment in recognizing God-given individual liberty and creating a government in which no one is deemed better than another and all of us are equal.

Not equal in abilities, but in intrinsic worth and value. It is the essence of not just who we are, but what we are.

To those who question how once rivals can now be united, it’s simple – we have Barack Obama to thank.

He said, “You didn’t build it.”

Translation: “It doesn’t rightly belong to you!”

No small differences among us in our party approximate the vast differences between the liberty-limiting, radical left-wing, anti-business, reckless-spending, tax-hiking party of Barack Obama, Harry Reid, and Nancy Pelosi, versus an energized America who knows that we can do better.

For four years, we’ve given a chance to a man with very limited experience in governing, no experience in business whatsoever, and since taking office, mostly an interest in campaigning, blaming, and aiming excuses at his predecessor, the Republicans, and people in business, or as Republicans like to call them, employers.

We’ve stagnated into an economy that has taken all that hope “down the slope” and left millions without jobs, forced out of their homes by foreclosure, and herded into dependency upon a government that promises us candy and gives us cavities.

Barack Obama seems intent on enrolling more people on food stamps. Mitt Romney’s focus will be on generating more jobs that would make food stamps unnecessary for them.

We know full well that we can do better.

Mitt Romney turned around companies that were on the skids; turned around a scandal ridden Olympics that was deep in the red into a high point of profitable and patriotic pride; and turned around a very liberal state by erasing a deficit and replacing it with a surplus.

Barack Obama said if he couldn’t turn things around in three years, it would be a one-term proposition. It’s been almost four … let’s make him a proposition he can’t refuse.
Let’s vote him out!

The job of President is admittedly tougher than running a company, Olympic contest, or a commonwealth, but when one sees what even Bill Clinton noted was a sterling record of problem-solving that has marked the life of Mitt Romney, we are confident we WILL do better.

Mitt has been loyal to his wife, his sons, his country, his employees, and his church.

I’m sure the press will tell you he isn’t perfect.

But for the past four years, we’ve tried the one the press thought was perfect, and that hasn’t worked out so well for us.

We can do better!

The Founding Fathers of our great nation left taxation and tyranny seeking religious liberty and a society of meritocracy rather than aristocracy. They created a bold experiment in government, believing God gave us unalienable rights, and government’s role is simply to make sure they are protected.

So fearful were they that government would grow beyond their intention that even after crafting our magnificent Constitution, they said, “We can do even better.” They added amendments that we call the Bill of Rights that limit what the government can do and guarantee what “We the people” have the unimpeded right to do – whether to speak, assemble, worship, pray, publish, or even refuse intrusions into our homes.

Many of them died to pass on that heritage. They had lived under the boot of big government and said, “We can do better.”

As a kid growing up in a household with a dad who never finished high school and a family in which no male upstream from me had ever finished high school, much less gone to college, I was taught that there was nothing I could do about what was behind me, but could change everything about what was in front of me.

My working-poor parents told me I could do better. They taught me that I was as good as anyone else. It never occurred to them to tell me that I could rest comfortably and wait for Uncle Sugar to feed me, lead me, and then bleed me.

They told me to get off my backside, work hard, take risks, and treat people honestly and honorably. And look what’s happened – I have become as the press label me, “a failed candidate.”

It’s true; I have fallen from the high perch of politics and now wallow in the mud of the media, but I still know that as a country, we can do better, and with Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, we will.

Let me clear the air about whether guys like me would only support an evangelical. Of the four people on the two tickets, the only self-professed evangelical is Barack Obama, and he supports changing the definition of marriage, believes that human life is disposable and expendable at any time in the womb or even beyond the womb, and tells people of faith that they must bow their knees to the god of government and violate their faith and conscience in order to comply with what he calls health care.

Friends, I know we can do better!

The attack on my Catholic brothers and sisters is an attack on me. The Democrats have brought back the old dance the “Limbo” to see how low they can go in attempting to limit our ability to practice our faith.

This isn’t a battle about contraceptives and Catholics, but of conscience and the Creator.

I care far less as to where Mitt Romney takes his family to church than I do about where he takes this country. Joe Biden said, “Show me your budget, and I’ll tell you what you value.” Well, in the Senate, Joe’s party hasn’t produced a budget in three years.

What does that say about their values?

Speaking of budgets, Joe Biden’s budget shows that while he wants to be generous with your money through higher taxes and government spending, for years he gave less than two-tenths of 1 percent of his money to charity.

He just wants you to give the government more so he and the Democrats can feel better about themselves. Mitt Romney has given over 16% of his income to his church and charity, and I’d feel better about having a leader who gives more of his own money instead of mine.

My concern is not Barack Obama’s past; my concern is for the future – not his future, but the future of my grandchildren.

And under this President, we burdened each of them with tens of thousands of dollars of debt, and a system that will collapse upon itself because he thinks we can prosper by punishing productivity and rewarding reckless irresponsibility.

The Democrats say we ought to give Barack Obama credit for trying. That sounds like the nonsense of giving every kid a trophy for showing up.

Friends, we’re talking about leading the country, not playing on a third-grade soccer team!

I realize this is the man who got a Nobel Peace Prize for what he would potentially do, but in the real world, you get the prize for producing something, not just promising it.

Sometimes, we’re so close to the picture, we can’t really see it clearly. I’ve worked with Bono for the past few years in the ONE campaign to fight AIDS and hunger and disease around the world.

He’s an Irishman and a great humanitarian who told me of his admiration for America. He said we’re more than a country; we’re an idea.

He reminded me that we are an exceptional nation with an extraordinary history who owes it to the generations coming after us to leave them an extraordinary legacy.

If we don’t change the direction of our nation now, our bequest will be nothing but an extraordinary shame.
But we can do better.

President Obama is out of gas; Americans are out of patience, and our great Republic is almost out of time. It’s time we no longer lead from behind, but get off our behinds and leave something lasting for those who come after us instead of a mountain of debt and a pile of excuses.

Tonight, it’s not because we’re Republicans; it’s because we’re Americans that we proudly stand withMitt Romney and Paul Ryan to say we will do better!

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Former Governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee, is repeating his appearance as a speaker in the 2012 Convention; in 2008 he was one of the speakers at the Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is one of the best known conservatives and he will surely help Mitt Romney.

Huckabee remarked on the importance of the 2012 election, stating:

“I’m honored to be invited by Governor Romney to address my fellow Republicans at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, but especially grateful for the opportunity to explain to my fellow Americans why this election provides the most stark contrast of political platforms in American history.

“Four years ago, we were promised an economic recovery and the creation of millions of jobs, but have now seen the longest period of record unemployment since the Great Depression. We were promised that the sacred institution of marriage would be protected, but now we have the first president in history to support changing the nature and definition of marriage.

We were promised that faith would guide these decisions, but instead we have seen a full frontal assault on the conscience and convictions of religious liberty by insisting that this new government run health care system include forcing churches, colleges, hospitals, and businesses to bow their knee to the Baal of the federal government. I will do all I can to help Mitt Romney become our president.”

In his 2008 speech he warned Americans that Obama’s election “would elevate our taxes and our risks in a dangerous world.” He also criticized Obama for taking his campaign to Europe, by saying that Europeans did not vote or pay taxes in the United States. In one of his harder critics towards Europe he stated: “let me hasten to say that it’s not what he took there that concerns me. It’s what he brought back: European ideas that give the government the chance to grab even more of our liberty and destroy our hard-earned livelihood.”

Romney recently made his own trip to Europe in which he visited London and Poland. He also visited Israel. He received a lot of criticism for his trip, and one senior Republican strategist who was granted anonymity to speak candidly said: “Why on earth is he seeking to improve his foreign policy cred when there will not be a single vote cast on that subject?”

Most of the Republican criticisms towards Obama are the same that Huckabee expressed in his 2008 speech, in which he explained that Americans do not want more government but rather a smaller one. This is still one of the main criticisms against the Democrats, that they are trying to make a huge government. Huckabee quoted Abraham Lincoln, and said it was he who “reminded us that a government that can do everything for us is the government that can take everything from us,” which shows how dangerous a huge government really can be.

Critics against Obama during the 2012 campaign are basically giving the same arguments as the ones Huckabee made in his 2008 speech; let’s see if Mike Huckabee surprises us with his speech in the Tampa Convention.

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The Republican National Convention will be held this year at the Tampa Bay Times Forum, from August 27 to 30. Nearly 50,000 people are expected at the event. The Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus has announced the first list of headliners that would address the Convention; additional speakers will be announced in the next days.

The list includes:

• South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who is the youngest sitting governor in the country and South Carolina first female governor. Her official website describes her as “one of the strongest fiscal conservatives in state government.”
• Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, who is one of the most popular conservatives, author of nine books, and a radio and television show host. He recently organized the Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day.
• Ohio Governor John Kasich, who was elected to the Ohio State Senate at the age of 26 and to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1982 at the age of 30, he was also former House Budget Committee chairman
• New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez, who has become the first female Hispanic Governor in the country and the first female governor of New Mexico. Her official website explains that “She was elected on November 2, 2010, pledging to cut wasteful spending, lower taxes to create more jobs, end “pay-to-play” practices and other corruption in government and fight to reform education. She was sworn in as Governor of New Mexico on January 1, 2011, making her the first Latina governor in United States history.
• Arizona Senator John McCain, who was the 2008 Republican presidential candidate, he is a war veteran that is now serving his fifth term in the U.S. Senate. McCain was taken as a prisoner of war in Vietnam in 1967, where he was denied medical treatment and was often beaten by the North Vietnamese.
• Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who was the first African-American female to hold this position. From 2005 to 2009 she served as the 66th Secretary of State, she also served from 2001 to 2005 as President George W. Bush’s Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, becoming the first woman to hold this position. According to her official profile she is currently a “professor of Political Economy in the Graduate School of Business; the Thomas and Barbara Stephenson Senior Fellow on Public Policy at the Hoover Institution; and a professor of Political Science at Stanford University. She is also a founding partner of Rice Hadley Gates.”
• Florida Governor Rick Scott, representing the convention host state, Scott is Florida’s 45th Governor; his official website explains that “Rick is focused on creating jobs and turning Florida’s economy around.”

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Mitt Romney made his first major foreign policy address at the Citadel Military Academy last Friday, which tackled the threats to the country’s security and how he is planning to solve them. His foreign policy plan includes taking eight steps in his first 100 days in office as well as believing in the “American Century.”

Mitt Romney didn’t hold back as he discussed the threats facing America including President Obama’s shortcomings in his foreign policy. Critizing President Obama for ‘massive defense cuts,’ Romney stated, “I will not surrender America’s role in the world, this is very simple if you do not want America to be the strongest nation on earth, I’m not your president.

You have that president today.” On day one in office, Romney proposed to focus on rebuilding the economy, reverse massive defense cuts, and not weaken America’s military. Romney concentrated on the threats that the United States currently faces and potentially faces in the future.

The international threats included discussing a powerful nuclear Iran against the United States and the Taliban gaining power in Afghanistan again. He also included a vital issue directly facing America which is the Mexican border and the drug cartels in the region in combination with the failure to secure the border.

With these problems come solutions, and according to Romney the solution to a safer world is to make America the strongest nation in the world. He states, “God did not create this country to be a nation of followers. America is not destined to be one of several equally balanced global powers.

America must lead the world, or someone else will.” His plan to make America the strongest country in the world includes the eight steps he will take his first 100 days in office. The steps include the construction of a bigger Navy, which involves increasing ship building from 9 to 15 ships a year.

He aims to strengthen relationships with allies including Mexico and Israel. He also states he will enhance deterrents against Iran, commit to a robust national missile defense system, and use soft power resources in the Middle East. He plans on launching a campaign for economic opportunity in Latin America and conducting a full review of transition in Afghanistan.

Lastly he hopes to order interagency initiative on cyber security. Some people have commented that Mitt Romney’s foreign policy stance resembles that of former George W. Bush’s. Romney did an effective job at addressing the threats that face the country, where the Obama administration has lacked effective solutions, and the steps he plans on taking once in office.

With an attempted terrorist plot against the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Washington by two Iranian men, just days after Romney’s speech, there seems to be justification for Romney’s forceful policies on terror prevention and America’s security.

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The rift between Republican candidates Mitt Romney and Rick Perry seems to widen. The Romney campaign stated on Wednesday that they have considered Perry’s idea about allowing states to run social security. “We reject turning the program over to the states,” Romney adviser Eric Fehrnstrom told The Huffington Post in an email.

The Romney campaign issued six detailed questions for the Perry campaign about how a state level social security program would run. Gail Gitcho, communications director for Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, said Perry wants to “dismantle” Social Security.

“He has refused to answer questions on what the Social Security program would look like at the state level,” Gitcho said in the campaign’s release. “Governor Perry has the opportunity to clarify his proposal while he is in Florida — a state with an extraordinarily high number of retirees and near retirees.” The six questions take Perry’s idea seriously, raising logistical issues about the change.

Some of the questions include,  ”Would individuals retain national Social Security numbers or would each state administer its own system?”  or “What would happen to the Trust Fund that accrued while the [federal] system was in surplus? … How would those funds be equitably allocated to the states?”

A Perry campaign spokesman has not yet responded to a request for comment Wednesday. Although Romney also does not have any specific plan for social security, he has offered more details than Perry. In his 2010 book, “No Apology: The Case for American Greatness,” Romney said he would consider raising the retirement age at which Americans become eligible for Social Security, with exceptions for those physically unable to work.

He also said he would be willing to reduce benefits for “high-income individuals” by using the consumer price index rather than the wage index to determine payouts, and to give younger workers the option to “direct a portion of their Social Security tax to a private account.”

Perry has called social security a “Ponzi scheme” and a “monstrous lie.” These bold statements have won him some fans with members of the conservative grassroots. But, these statements have also opened him up for criticism nationally.

Romney’s campaign has tried to go after the substance of Perry’s past comments about moving the program to the state level and the questions about Social Security’s constitutionality that Perry raised in his 2010 book, “Fed Up.” The two will meet again in a scheduled GOP debate on Thursday in Florida.

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The debate that took place at the infamous Ronald Reagan Library gave those who tuned in the opportunity to formally see where the eight GOP presidential candidates stand on some of the most burning issues facing the country. It was clear that two candidates carried the spotlight throughout the night. Romney and Perry didn’t waste any time and began their heated battle right from the start.

Each dealt with tough questions, and both were confronted on issues of job creation in their state and their plan for the economy. Romney, who was bumped down by Perry in recent polls to a second place, showed an adequate performance at last week’s debate. Romney was able to stay composed and focused even when faced with questions regarding some of his weak spots, such as healthcare.

Romney’s health care plan, often referred to as “Romney Care,” was one topic that Romney couldn’t avoid answering — the main reason being that all other candidates oppose Romney’s healthcare bill because it resembles that of President Obama. He will have to expand on the difference between his and the President’s in future debates.

Romney was also confronted with his ideas for job creation when questioned about his poor ranking as the 47^th state for job creation within his ten years as governor. Romney responded, “We were able to turn around the job losses and at the end of four years we had the unemployment rate down to 4.7%. That’s a record I think the president would like to see. As a matter of fact we created more jobs in Massachusetts than this president has created in this entire country.”

He also used his experience in the private sector to promote his foundation for forming jobs. Rick Perry, who is now in the lead in the GOP presidential election, is known to be inexperienced in live debates compared to the other candidates. However, this didn’t show and Perry was able to answer many questions, with only a few fumbles.

Perry was also faced with the topic of job creation and economy. He was asked about economic issues that surround Texas such as having the lowest minimum wage in the country and being one of eight states with the highest level of poverty.

Perry responded, “What Americans are looking for is someone who can get this country working again, and we put the model in place in the state of Texas. When you look at what we have done over the last decade we have created one million jobs in the state of Texas, the same time Americans lost 2 1/2 million.”

Although a good answer, Perry dodged many of the questions being asked and instead responded with his track record of creating jobs. The fact that Mitt Romney and Rick Perry were in the spotlight last at the first debate could indicate the direction of the race for the presidential nomination.

Mark McKinnon, a former adviser to President George W. Bush during his presidential campaign, responded to last week’s debate as, “great theater, good fireworks. Rick Perry is the front-runner and he did nothing last night to knock himself off that status. Mitt Romney was solid as he has been in the recent debates.”

With both candidates showing no signs of giving up, it will be exciting to see if the upcoming debates continue to play out like a boxing match between Romney and Perry, or if other candidates will want to step in for the fight.

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It has already begun. The presidential election is over a year away, but former candidates are beginning to endorse their peers. Tim Pawlenty, who dropped out of the race last month, has placed his support behind Mitt Romney in an email to supporters on Monday.

“President Obama has failed to meet America’s economic challenges. … Fortunately, America may get a second chance: Mitt Romney is running for president, and I am proud to endorse him,” said Pawlenty in an email message sent out by the Romney campaign.

“[Romney] believes in the bedrock conservative ideals of limited government and free enterprise,” he continued. “He will stand up for America’s allies when they are threatened, with fortitude. And he will face down our adversaries. He is a formidable person, and he will certainly be a formidable president. Our allies can count on it, and our enemies should expect it.”

“He’s formulated an economic plan-a set of alternatives to the government-oriented programs that Barack Obama has put in place-that is unparalleled in the history of American electoral campaigns. By pressing for fundamental change in the way that Washington taxes and spends, issues regulations, uses energy, interacts with our major trading partners, and deals with our labor force, he fully envisions a way to place America back on the path toward rapid economic growth and full employment.”

Pawlenty also appeared on Fox News on Monday morning. He stated that Romney has significant experience in the private sector, which has influenced his decision to support the former Massachusetts governor. He also criticized Texas governor Rick Perry, specifically Perry’s reference to social security as a “ponzi scheme.”

“Governor Romney wants to fix Social Security — he doesn’t want to abolish it or end it,” Pawlenty said. “He doesn’t believe it should be thrown out — he thinks it should be reformed and fixed.” Responding to questions about his previous criticism of Romney’s health-care program, Pawlenty said he talked to Romney about his concerns and came away reassured.

“Mitt Romney is 100 percent dedicated and committed to repealing Obamacare,” Pawlenty said, citing Romney’s pledge to grant the states waivers from the federal law. Pawlenty will be a national co-chair of Romney’s campaign. He told Fox News that he had no vice presidential aspirations.

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Last Wednesday’s debate between Republican presidential hopefuls highlighted the sharp ideological divide between Texas governor Rick Perry and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney as the two clashed over Social Security.

During the debate at the Ronald Regan Presidential Library, Perry called Social Security an unsustainable “Ponzi  scheme” and claimed that it gave young workers a false sense of security.

This echoes the arguments in his 2010 book Fed Up! in which he claimed that Social Security was unconstitutional and should be replaced with “retirement safety net that is no longer set up like an illegal Ponzi scheme, but rather will allow individuals to own and control their own retirement.” In recent weeks, Perry has also advocated transferring responsibility for Social Security to the states.

Mitt Romney, on the other hand, came out in defense of Social Security, saying that its problems can be fixed. In particular, he advocates raising the retirement age and eliminating benefits for wealthy individuals. Perry’s decision to attack Social Security is a very risky move.

It has been an established part of the American political landscape since Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal of the 1930s, and politicians have traditionally been wary of attacking it because of its bipartisan support.

Writing to his brother in 1954, Republican president Dwight Eisenhower even went so far as to say that “should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history.”

However, it is impossible to ignore the fact that Social Security is in danger. By 2023, forecasts predict that the income of the Social Security program will no longer be sufficient to meet its expenditures.

Predicted demographic shifts suggest that, by 2035, there will be less than three income earners supporting each retiree who receives Social Security benefits. Unless Congress acts, the Social Security Trust Fund could be drained by 2036.

Perry is almost certainly hoping that his strident criticism of Social Security will resonate with grassroots members who are eager to roll back the power of the federal government. He also seems to believe that the GOP needs to field a candidate who is diametrically opposed to President Obama.

“The point is we need to have a nominee that doesn’t blur the lines between themselves and the current resident of the White House,” Perry told an audience in Orange County, California on Thursday. If Perry continues down this road, he certainly won’t have to worry about being confused with Obama.

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Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has launched his own jobs plan ahead of the president’s address to the nation on Thursday. On Tuesday, Romney detailed his 59 specific proposals to improve the nation’s economy and create jobs.

“At best, government can provide a framework in which economic growth can occur. All too often, however, government gets in the way,” Romney wrote in an opinion piece in USA Today that previewed his 160-page plan. “The past three years of unparalleled government expansion have retaught that lesson all too well.”

Romney’s plan, no surprise, includes lowering the tax rate for corporations to encourage more corporations to keep profits in the U.S. This comes just weeks after Romney stated that “corporations are people.” Romney also proposes to eliminate tax on interests, capital gains and dividends. Romney’s campaign stated that these proposals specifically target middle class Americans, however few middle class Americans pay those types of taxes.

Romney criticized Obama for expanding federal regulations. He announced a proposal to ensure that new regulations at government agencies do not cost money. If a new set of rules raises costs for businesses, Romney would require that a different set of regulations be eliminated.

“I have spent most of my career in the private sector starting new businesses and turning around ailing ones. Unlike career politicians who’ve never met a payroll, I know why jobs come and go,” Romney wrote in USA Today, again a jab at Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who has held public office since he was elected as a Texas state representative in 1985.

Democrats criticized Romney’s plan, even before he rolled it out. Brad Woodhouse, a spokesman for the Democratic Party, said: “Mitt Romney has promised an economic plan that is bold and sweeping. But if the past months have shown anything, what Americans are really likely to get is more of the same tired rhetoric and worn out ideas which have failed America in the past.”

Although there is nothing new or different in this plan (lower taxes, reduce regulations), at least Romney is proposing something. The Republican Party in general has not offered any real solutions to the economy. The Republicans are known as the “Party of No” for a reason.

They are quick to criticize the president, congress and everyone else without suggesting any alternatives. Of course, the hocus pocus magic of lowering taxes and reducing regulations does not help the economy (see: George W. Bush’s 8 years) but  Mittens is trying to set himself apart in the crowded GOP field.

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As Rick Perry’s campaign gains momentum, a jittery Mitt Romney has attempted to target the issue most likely to be his opponent’s weakness: immigration.

Speaking to Republican Hispanics in Tampa, Romney said that “we must stop providing the incentives that promote illegal immigration.” He reminded his audience that, as governor, he vetoed legislation to provide in-state tuition to illegal immigrants and worked to make it easier for state troopers to enforce immigration laws.

Although Romney did not mention Perry by name, it was clear he had the Texas governor in his sights. In 2001, Perry signed a version of the “Dream Act” that allowed illegal aliens to obtain in-state tuition. And although he calls for a crackdown on illegal immigration, he shows little enthusiasm for Arizona-style legislation.

The issue of illegal immigration has become a hot button issue for the GOP in recent years, which presents the party with something of a problem as they attempt to woo Hispanic voters. In the run-up to the last election, Mitt Romney took a hard line on immigration and, as a result, he won just nine percent of Florida’s Cuban vote and twenty-one percent of the non-Cuban Hispanic vote in the Florida Republican primary.

In recent remarks to the Republican National Hispanic Assembly, Romney said that he was “a great proponent of legal immigration.” “Many of you are living proof of the unique strength of America that is constantly renewed by new Americans,” he added.

Romney’s attack comes as a recent poll by Magellan Strategies shows Perry with a five-point advantage among Republicans in Nevada, a state that backed Romney in the last election. Romney has also come under sustained attack from certain elements of the Tea Party.

Many Tea Partiers view him as ideologically suspect because he signed Massachusetts’ 2006 health care reform, a law that provided inspiration for President Obama’s own health care reforms. Consequently, some of their activists have taken to protesting Romney’s attendance at conservative functions and are actively working to undermine his campaign in battleground states.

However, this opposition has set off something of an internal struggle within the Tea Party movement, as many local groups object to the idea of outsiders coming in and telling them who to support.

In a belated bid to court Tea Party votes, Romney will address some of its members in New Hampshire on Sunday, September 4. The next day, he will take part in gathering hosted by Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), a prominent supporter of the Tea Party.

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Presidential candidate Mitt Romney put on his boxing gloves on Tuesday and began to swing at top rival, Rick Perry. Romney spoke at the Veterans of Foreign Wars National Convention in San Antonio and seemed to take aim at Perry without mentioning his name. When talking about whether Obama is responsible for the recession, Romney alluded that Perry is a “career politician.”

“I am a conservative businessman. I spent most of my life outside of politics, dealing with real problems in the real economy,” Romney said. “Career politicians got us into this mess and they simply don’t know how to get us out!”

Romney’s advisors state that the “death by a thousand cuts” strategy will target Perry. Romney’s camp doesn’t believe that the Texas governor, who has been in office since 2000, can be defeated by any one thing.

The strategy instead will focus on highlighting the most negative aspects of Perry’s public record. Although Romney is starting to attack Perry, the plan is also to wait on Rep. Michele Bachmann. Romney’s aides believe that she will soon be forced to go on the offensive against Perry.

However, Bachmann’s camp is content to remain on the sidelines for as long as possible and let the first and second place contenders duke it out. Romney’s strategists think she won’t be able to wait long because of Perry’s surge in the poll numbers. “I think given her financial situation she can’t wait that long,” the Romney adviser said.

Jamie Burnett, who was Romney’s political director in New Hampshire in 2008 but is unaffiliated this cycle, said that “every day that goes by there is less oxygen for [Bachmann] in this primary field.” “[Perry's] stealing a lot of her oxygen.

It’s quickly becoming a two-person race,” Burnett stated. Romney’s camp also believes that Perry will hang himself during the three upcoming debates scheduled in September. “We went through Hurricane Palin and Hurricane Huckabee and Hurricane Trump,” the Romney adviser said, referring to the bright light celebrity names that stoked interest earlier this year: former Alaska Gov.

Sarah Palin, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, and businessman Donald Trump. Referring to Perry, the adviser said: “This is just one more hurricane, but I think we’re at the end of hurricane season.”

The first debate is scheduled for Wednesday in California.

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Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has burnished his climate skeptic credentials by casting doubt on the idea of anthropogenic global warming.

Speaking at a town hall meeting in New Hampshire, Romney said that, although he agrees that the world is getting warmer, he is not sure whether or not the increased temperatures are caused by human activity.

“Do I think the world’s getting hotter? Yeah, I don’t know that but I think that it is,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s mostly caused by humans.” “What I’m not willing to do is spend trillions of dollars on something I don’t know the answer to,” he continued.

Shortly after announcing his candidacy in June, Romney caused a stir in conservative circles by calling for action to limit pollutants in order to combat climate change.

“I think it’s important for us to reduce our emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases that may well be significant contributors to the climate change and global warming that you’re seeing,” he said.

Surveys have shown that many Republicans are skeptical of the idea of anthropogenic global warming, and Romney may well have feared that his previous statement was undermining his support. Although he was once the Republican front-runner, recent polls show him trailing Texas governor Rick Perry.

Perry has already established himself as a leading climate skeptic. He has been a vociferous critic of the Obama administration’s climate change policies, and has criticized the Environmental Protection Agency on a number of occasions. Perry has even gone so far as to accuse climate scientists of manipulating data in order to obtain grant money.

Such stalwart opposition to the Obama administration’s environmental policies has already earned Perry the endorsement of Oklahoma senator Jim Inhofe. When announcing his decision, Inhofe accused Romney of being “a little mushy” on environmental issues. Last month, Romney’s camp attempted to draw a distinction between ‘greenhouse gases’ and ‘pollutants.’

“Gov. Romney does not think greenhouse gases are pollutants within the meaning of the Clean Air Act, and he does not believe that the EPA should be regulating them,” said Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul. “CO2 is a naturally occurring gas. Humans emit it every time they exhale.”

Although many in the GOP may question global warming, a 2010 study by the National Academy of Sciences found that “climate change is occurring, is caused largely by human activities and poses significant risks,” and most climate scientists across the globe endorse this thesis.
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Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney spoke at the Iowa State Fair on Thursday, making a classic Freudian slip that was immediately pounced on by his opposition. Speaking to a rowdy crowd on the afternoon of the Republican debate, Romney declared that “corporations are people.”

An audience member asked Romney why he was focusing on entitlement reforms to reduce the deficit instead of asking corporations to share part of the burden. Romney shot back, “Corporations are people, my friend… of course they are. Everything corporations earn ultimately goes to the people. Where do you think it goes? Whose pockets? Whose pockets? People’s pockets. Human beings my friend.”

The Democrats wasted no time slamming Romney over the comments. “This is what Mitt Romney is going to run on? Corporations are people? Really?” said Democratic National Committee Communications Director Brad Woodhouse. “There’s a great message for people struggling to get by and trying to make ends meet. Don’t complain — corporations are people too!”

Speaking at the Des Moines Register soapbox, Romney was also interrupted by a heckler who asked if he supported “scrapping the Social Security payroll cap so that rich people pay their fair share into the trust fund?”

Romney responded, “There was a time in this country where we didn’t celebrate attacking people based on their success. We didn’t go after people because they were successful. I’ve watched this president go across the country attacking people, and I… and I am… if you want to speak, you can speak. But right now it’s my turn, so let me continue.”

Romney, clearly flustered, continued. “If you don’t like my answer, you can vote for someone else,” he said.

Romney’s attack comes just two days before the Ames straw poll in the state, an important indicator for the primary next year. Although Romney will appear on the ballot in Iowa, he has not been actively campaigning in the conservative state.

“As you know I participated in a major way in a straw poll four years ago,” Romney said in addressing his decision to forego the straw poll during an appearance on Fox News’ “Hannity” on Wednesday night.

“Some of the benefit I already was able to accrue based upon what happened last time around… I want to use my financial resources and my time this time to actually get delegates, not the straw polls — they are nice but don’t get you delegates — I’m not going to participate in the straw polls anywhere in the country.”

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Although no major candidate has declared their intention to run for the GOP presidential nomination in 2012, there are plenty of possible contenders to speculate over.  Numerous Republican heavy hitters and outsiders have expressed some interest in possibility challenging Barack Obama in 2012.  Here are some of the potential candidates.

First, we have Sarah Palin.  She is the leader of the pack because other likely candidates appear to be waiting to see if she will throw her hat in the ring or not.  The former Alaska Governor seems to know that others are waiting and she enjoys it.  Palin has huge star power, a strong fan base, and an ability to fundraise like no other.  But, she hasn’t spent much time courting the all-important Iowa vote, her likability rating in polls have been tanking, and she makes boatloads of money which she would have to give up if she were to be president.  She also scheduled a speaking engagement on the day of the first scheduled primary debate.  I am convinced that she may never officially announce one way or another leaving the Republican Party in complete confusion and chaos right up to the Republican convention.

Next up is Newt Gingrich.  The former Speaker of the House announced last month that he will begin raising money to test whether he should try to run for the GOP presidential nomination.  He also set up a website for the potential run.   Gingrich was suspended from his gig at Fox News because they clearly expect him to run.  Gingrich, who continues to be indecisive about entering the presidential race, is giving signs that he is serious this time.  Talking about his past affairs and disconnecting himself from various side projects in order to be compliant with campaign law suggest he really might do it.

Rep. Michele Bachmann may be the most surprising “maybe candidate”.  But, she is increasingly giving signs that she is considering a run.  The Tea Party darling has made recent trips to early primary states and has more travels scheduled.  Sources close to the Minnesota Congresswoman also suggest that she is feeling pretty confident after visiting the states and talking to potential voters.  Bachmann said she would make her decision in spring or early summer and that she would use prayer to help guide her in the decision.  She also has huge fundraising abilities and if Palin didn’t enter, Bachmann could garner would-be Palin voters because they have similar styles.

Mike Huckabee is also a name mentioned as a likely candidate.  Recently, Huckabee has been everywhere to promote his book.  Whether his press run also means he will attempt a presidential bid is not clear.  He has said it is “stupid” to enter the race too early.  The former Arkansas governor has suggested that he will run, but more speculation points to a non-existent campaign.  Huckabee is still insisting that people take the campaign very seriously, and is bragging about being an early season front-runner. “Virtually every poll in America has me leading,” Huckabee claims.

There are more possible candidates.  Check out our other parts to this growing series.

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