Update

Well, Governor Romney won the Iowa straw poll on the weekend as he had planed. While many say it was insignificant, that is not the case. Mitt won this over a month or so ago when Giuliani and McCain realized they didn’t stand a chance and would rather forfeit than loose outright. Mitt showed he and his campaign can develop a plan, implement it and follow it through to the finish.

Today, the Rasmussen Report shows that Mitt is moving up in the chart for the Republican Presidential Nomination with Giuliani at 24%, Fred Thompson at 20% and Mitt at 16%, while McCain is at 11% and Mike Huckabee has moved up to 5%. In other good news Romney continues to lead Republicans in polling for the New Hampshire Presidential Primary with 32% of the votes in the most recent Rasmussen report. He is followed by Rudy Giuliani at 20% with Fred Thompson and John McCain both getting 11% in the phone survey. Of note the New Hampshire survey was conducted before the results of the Iowa straw poll.

Fred Thompson’s appeal seems to be waning. Politico.com has an article today talking about how Fred’s lobbing for a nuclear project cost the American taxpayers $1.7 billion and left them with little more than a large hole in the ground. It seems Fred’s past is coming back to haunt him and the heat hasn’t even been turned up yet as he still has yet to officially enter the race if he ever does. There is even talk that he may not even enter the race. It is yet another indication that Fred just doesn’t want the job.

Lastly, as Rich Lowry from National Review Online so eloquently put it, it is “quittin’ time” for Sam Brownback. His campaign started off as values based one but, in the last month has turned to a negative campaign of attacking his fellow Republican candidates, with Mitt Romney being the target of choice for his venom from him and his bloggers. Some of the bloggers attacks border on hate and bigotry. With his disappointing finish in Iowa the time has come to pack it in.

Mitt, keep up the great work you and your team are doing. We need change and we need leadership. We need Mitt!

Ken.