Why so coy about 2012, Mitt Romney?
(Read article summary)Mitt Romney's political strategy, for the moment, includes a lot of TV appearances, gentle words about Sarah Palin, and building a war chest. But he's cagey about a 2012 GOP presidential bid.
Washington
A year ahead of the first Republican presidential primary, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s political strategy includes boosting his visibility, speaking softly about possible rival Sarah Palin, and carrying a big wallet.
On Tuesday, for example, Mr. Romney appeared on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” CNN’s "Piers Morgan Tonight,” and “Late Night with David Letterman” on CBS. One news hook for the appearances is the release of the paperback edition of Romney’s book, “No Apology: The Case for American Greatness.” [Editor's note: The original paragraph mischaracterized Romney's book as new. The paperback edition is new.]
Romney, who lost a Republican primary struggle to Sen. John McCain in 2008, seemed to encourage a presidential bid by McCain running-mate Sarah Palin. On the Piers Morgan program he said, “She is an extraordinarily powerful and effective voice in our party … she’d be great in a primary process.”
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Later that evening, he made a return visit to the Letterman program in an appearance that seemed aimed in part at warming up Romney’s image as a buttoned-down, successful businessman. Romney, who normally is seen wearing impeccably tailored suits, was dressed for the segment in a sports coat, but without a tie. The spot was titled, “The Top Ten Things You Don’t Know about Mitt Romney.” The list included “Mitt is short for Mitt-hew” and “I’m the guy in the photo that comes with your picture frame.” [Editor's note: The original paragraph mistakenly recounted conversation from Romney's appearance on the Letterman show in March, without noting the statements were not made this week.]
