After Governor Romney answered a question about taxes, Thompson jabbed Romney saying he wants to get into the situation Mitt is in, digging at his wealth. Romney poked back saying, “I would like to get into your situation!” Thompson wins by biting back, Well, you are starting  make a pretty good actor, actually! The press room erupted in laughter.

Wimpy Republicans!

It’s not like they are saying Mike Huckabee has AIDS or is an illegal immigrant. Republicans on the campaign trail are buzzing about Mitt Romney’s “negative” attack ad that he says merely “contrasts” his illegal immigration record to Huckabees.
The Romney campaign and the outsiders are both right, but this ad is cotton candy when compared to some of the meat cleaver ads of years past; Pat Buchanan’s attacks on George W. Bush in 1991 and 1992 were TRULY tough, Steve Forbes on Bob Dole in 1996 were ruthless, just a couple that come to mind as real bare knuckle negative attacks.

In fact, in the modern age of television, if this is the nastiest hit of the 2008 nomination cycle it’s going to be pretty tame!

Check out Mitt’s new ad against Huckabee……

Huckabee responded to the ad. Serafin Gomez was there and got his response on tape;

Huckabee on Romney Attack Ad: “Sign of Desperation”

Mitt was later questioned by reporters about Huckabee’s insistence that the ad was a sign of desperation by the Romney Campaign; Romney refused to take the bait.

Rest assure, they have to get tougher than this and the next week and a half may be the last opportunity before the holidays.

Don’t rule out another wave of attacks in New Hampshire or South Carolina and beyond.

Chicago, IL-

How long does it take to get from the Univision debate in Miami to the Iowa Public Television/Des Moines Register debate in Iowa? Well, I have been trying to get there for 20 hours and I’ve only made it to Chicago. Such is the life of an embed, but what a tale it is. Freezing rain here caused the initial 2-hour delay in Miami. Then after landing in Chicago I was ecstatic that the Des Moines flight had been delayed because it meant that I could still get to Iowa. At that point, I could still see the positive side of delays. . .how naïve!

We are delayed another hour and a half and then we board. I actually won the delayed flight lottery! I sit down and wait to pull out of the gate. Of course that never happens and instead the pilot comes on to announce that the flight has been cancelled. The tired, unhappy passengers, including myself, shuffle off. I am re-booked on the 6:25AM this morning and I am not allowed up pick up my bags because they are “locked up” so they can be re-loaded in the morning.

I wake up this morning at 4:15AM and the American Airlines website and automated phone line both say my flight is on time. As I get on the airport bus I have hope and I try to stay positive. That hope is quickly dashed as I see all the morning flights have been cancelled. American Airlines calls to inform me of the cancellation at 6AM, 30 minutes after my flight was supposed to take off. When did airline service get so bad?

I am now re-booked on a flight tomorrow morning. The weather is so severe in Iowa that Mike Huckabee and John Edwards have cancelled campaign events. Spouses are also being affected with both Ann Romney and President Clinton having to scrap their events as well. Governor Romney was able to meet with voters at the sky mall in downtown Des Moines today. But, evaded all questions regarding his new ad pointing out the differences between himself and Governor Huckabee on immigration.

Romney staffers are also affected by the severe weather with many also trying to get to Des Moines for tomorrow’s debate. Staffers are stranded here in Chicago, Cincinnati, St. Louis and Dallas, all trying to get to Iowa.  I’m stuck in Chicago with campaign photographer Abby Brack. Press Secretary Eric Fehrnstrom is stuck in Dallas, but hopeful he will make it to Iowa tonight.

Bad weather is something that plagues the first in the nation caucus almost every four years. It affects the voters getting out, the candidates campaigning, and of course the press trying to cover both. The caucus could depend on which group of supporters are hardy enough to handle the extreme weather.  Will I get to the debate? Keep checking back for updates!

Governor Romney returned to Iowa after his much anticipated “Faith in America” speech. Supporters at his event in Des Moines were impressed, one even telling me it was the best speech he had heard “in decades.” 
Analysts say that giving the speech helped answer some questions voters might have had about his religion. But, I asked the presidential hopeful about how he may solve his other problem: connecting to voters. Romney simply answered, “That was not the purpose of the speech.” He even denied knowing about the political fallout from his address, “I don’t know what the implications are from a political standpoint because that’s not really what I was addressing. I was addressing a topic of significance that hopefully will touch the hearts of some people. “

One Presbyterian minister, Claude Jones, was swayed to the Romney camp after hearing the speech:

“I’m a clergyman and I was somewhat concerned about Mormonism, but his speech really convinced me. He is sincere, pro-family. We have so much in common as a country. We are not electing a pastor, but instead a president. “

I also spoke with Bill and Karen Kurth who were on their way to an evangelical conference in Dallas, Texas. They both consider themselves “born again” Christians and said they could never consider voting for Governor Romney unless he renounced Mormonism. Bill Kurth did acknowledge it was “a good political speech.” But, said he believes that Romney’s religion would affect his presidency:

“His religion will affect his world view and his world view is what I am concerned with. He is a Mormon, therefore he believes that anyone can become God and that Jesus was a man and then became God and that’s not what the bible teaches and I do believe that the bible is what we should have as a moral compass and what we should be using for our world view.”

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee has surged past Romney to become the Iowa frontrunner. He has strong support among Evangelical Christians, the same group Romney was hoping to sway with his speech.

The Romney campaign will air a negative ad against Iowa frontrunner Governor Mike Huckabee beginning tomorrow. The campaign calls it a “contrast ad” and it will point out the differences between Romney’s record on immigration and Huckabee’s.

The Romney strategy to win relies on a victory in Iowa and New Hampshire and riding that momentum to the GOP nomination. But, with the former Arkansas governor surging in the polls the campaign has decided to turn to negative television ads.

Press Secretary Eric Fehrnstrom released a statement with the commercial, “Mitt Romney has a record as governor opposing illegal immigration. Mike Huckabee has a different record of supporting ‘discounted’ tuition benefits and amnesty for illegal immigrants. We think it’s fair to point out those differences.”

The ad begins by comparing Romney and Huckabee favorably, “Two former governors. . .two good family men. . .Both pro-life. . .both support a constitutional amendment protecting traditional marriage. . .” The ad then takes a negative tone pointing out their differences on immigration, focusing on Huckabee’s support for tuition discounts for the children of illegal aliens.

Huckabee’s defense is that he doesn’t believe children should pay for the sins of their parents and has said that America is a better country than that. The campaign responded to the ad:

“We’re disappointed that Governor Romney favors smearing his fellow Republicans as his primary campaign strategy. But the voters in Iowa are too savvy to fall for such desperate tactics.”

The McCain campaign was quick to issue a scathing statement, even before the Huckabee camp responded:

“News that Mitt Romney will launch a new attack ad tomorrow is another move by a campaign that continues to insult Iowa voters. . . Governor Romney has flip-flopped on several major issues that voters care about. It’s particularly amazing that Governor Romney would attack anyone on immigration when he’s on his third position.”

The release of the ad comes one day after the Univision debate in Miami where the majority of the questions tossed to the candidates focused on immigration. Romney stuck to the same wording on immigration he uses on the campaign trail, but delivered it in a much softer tone than the fiery rhetoric he usually delivers on the stump.

In the first caucus state of Iowa, illegal immigration is the most important topic to Republican voters. The Romney campaign is hoping this ad will score with that electorate and enable him to regain the lead he previously enjoyed.

Sarasota, FL — A quick roundup of Giuliani’s Florida trip Thursday. Topics: Florida Primary, the recent Iran National Intelligence Estimate and Mitt Romney’s speech.

Sarasota, FL — Calling the U.S. a country of “toleration,” Rudy Giuliani today praised his rival, Mitt Romney, for his speech on faith, saying that he agrees with everything he heard in Romney’s speech and believes the former Massachusetts governor put any questions about his faith “to rest.”

“I thought Governor Romney said everything I agree with. I guess it’d be better if he didn’t have to do that….he did what he thought he had to do….you would wish that everybody would move beyond that,” Giuliani said. “I believe his talk helped to put that issue to rest. There is no religious test for office. There shouldn’t be a religious test for office.”

Giuliani made the comments after receiving an endorsement from the 10-13 Association (an organization of retired NYPD officers) as part of a quick campaign swing through the Sunshine State.

“We are a country of toleration. We are a country that was built on religious freedom. And we are country..in which we respect each other’s right to have different views about religion, about God, about belief in God and how we all look at it,” he added. “I think the Governor made that point very clearly today. I can’t imagine anybody disagreeing with that.”

Romney gave his much-anticipated speech on his Mormon faith earlier today in Texas. (More here)

Governor Romney delivered his much anticipated “Faith in America” speech to a very receptive crowd at George H.W. Bush library today. Today was arguably the most important moment of his campaign so far and the audience of invited guests interrupted his speech over a dozen times with applause. The speech was packed with American history and Romney spoke about the religious founding of the country:

“When our nation faced its greatest peril, sought the blessings of the Creator. And further, they discovered the essential connection between the survival of a free land and the protection of religious freedom. “

Governor Romney also sought to relieve fears of some voters, specifically Evangelical Christians, that as President he would consult his church on issues facing the country:

“If I am fortunate to become your president, I will serve no one religion, no one group, no one cause, and no one interest. A President must serve only the common cause of the people of the United States.”

Romney continued, mentioning his religion by name only once during the address. He spoke about his relationship to his faith and his commitment to it:

“There are some for whom these commitments are not enough. They would prefer it if I would simply distance myself from my religion, say that it is more a tradition than my personal conviction, or disavow one or another of its precepts. That I will not do. I believe in my Mormon faith and I endeavor to live by it. My faith is the faith of my fathers – I will be true to them and to my beliefs”

Romney was clear that he considers Jesus Christ his savior, but did note that his beliefs might be different than other religions underlining the importance of religious tolerance in America:

“I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of mankind. My church’s beliefs about Christ may not all be the same as those of other faiths. Each religion has its own unique doctrines and history. These are not bases for criticism but rather a test of our tolerance. Religious tolerance would be a shallow principal indeed if it were reserved only for faiths with which we agree.”

Romney sought to show the importance religion is to the culture and moral fabric of the United States. The opposite of John F. Kennedy’s 1960 speech, also given in Texas, that he gave to allay fears that he would answer to the Pope instead of the American people. Instead, JFK spoke on the importance of the separation of church and state. This speech has been compared to JFK’s even before it was written. Romney welcomes the comparison to “the other candidate from Massachusetts:”

“Like him, I am an American running for president. I do not define my candidacy by my religion. A person should not be elected because of his faith nor should he be rejected because of his faith.”

Richard Land, a leader in Southern Baptist circles said the speech was “Kennedy-esque,” but acknowledged that even JFK didn’t convince all Protestants, “Kennedy didn’t change everybody’s mind with his speech and the Governor’s not going to change everybody’s mind with this.”

Today’s speech is given at the same time that polls show Romney’s rival Governor Mike Huckabee is surging in the Iowa polls. Huckabee, a Southern Baptist preacher, has a strong following of Evangelical Christians. The same group Romney hopes to woo with this speech.

The Romney campaign also acknowledges that his “too-perfect” image and flip-flopping history might be what keeps voters away, not his faith.

Romney returns to the first caucus state of Iowa tomorrow where he hopes the speech will restore the lead he enjoyed earlier in the campaign.

College Station, TX — Governor Romney is set to give his “Faith in America” speech this morning. This is arguably the biggest moment in his presidential campaign thus far. Romney will not focus on his Mormon religion, instead he will give a more generic examination of the role of religion as part of America’s culture and its moral fabric. He will also discuss the faith of America’s founding fathers and how that still affects American culture today.

The campaign is stressing that it will not be a “primer on Mormonism,” but Romney will be clear today that he will serve the people of the United States not his religion. In excerpted remarks released before the speech the Presidential hopeful will say, “When I place my hand on the Bible and take the oath of office, that oath becomes my highest promise to God. If I am fortunate to become your president, I will serve no one religion, no one group, no one cause, and no one interest. A President must serve only the common cause of the people of the United States.”

The former Massachusetts Governor often says on the stump that people are not voting for a “pastor in chief.” In his speech today he will express why he feels he does not need to explain his religion in depth:

“There are some who would have a presidential candidate describe and explain his church’s distinctive doctrines. To do so would enable the very religious test the founders prohibited in the constitution. No candidate should become the spokesman for his faith. For if he becomes President he will need the prayers of the people of all faiths.”

Romney is hoping to allay the fears of Evangelical Christians, many who see Mormonism as a cult. He is going to address the worry of a “religion of secularism” sprouting in America and he will ask ” for the prayers of the people of all faiths” if he becomes President. These are at least two themes that will definitely appeal to this important voting bloc.

Journalists and invited guests from all over the world are here at the George H.W. Bush Library at Texas A&M. The speech is set to begin at 10:30AM Eastern with an introduction by former President George Bush.

More excerpts of today’s speech are below:

(more…)

Governor Romney fired his lawn care company today. He made the move in advance of a Boston Globe story reporting that, despite a year’s worth of controversy, the company continues to hire illegal immigrants to work on Romney’s lawn. Romney has a tough illegal immigration policy that he touts every day on the trail, but he gave the lawn company he uses for his Belmont home a second chance after it was revealed that illegals were working on his lawn last year. The Romney camp issued a statement from the former Massachusetts Governor saying he had terminated his lawn company today:

“After this same issue arose last year, I gave the company a second chance
 with very specific conditions. They were instructed to make sure people
 working for the company were of legal status,” the former Massachusetts
 governor said in a statement. “We personally met with the company in order
to inform them about the importance of this matter. The owner of the
 company guaranteed us, in very certain terms, that the company would be in
total compliance with the law going forward.

We personally met with the company in order 
to inform them about the importance of this matter. The owner of the
 company guaranteed us, in very certain terms, that the company would be in
 total compliance with the law going forward.”

Romney’s defense has always been that he hired the company, not the individual workers and that he can’t go up to every worker and ask to see their documents.

Romney was campaigning in New Hampshire today and said the very first thing he would do on the immigration issue if he was elected would be to build a border fence. Republican rivals have already started to attack Romney. Thompson’s campaign has put out a statement saying, “First Mitt Romney was FOR illegal immigrants working on his lawn, and then he was against it, then for it, and now I guess he’s against it again. Sounds like his position on amnesty.”

At the Republican debate last week Rudy Giuliani attacked Romney on this very topic and the Governor denied having illegal immigrants work on his lawn:

GIULIANI: You did have illegal immigrants working at your mansion, didn’t you?

ROMNEY: No, I did not, so let’s just talk about that. Are you suggesting, Mr. Mayor — because I think it is really kind of offensive actually to suggest, to say look, you know what, if you are a homeowner and you hire a company to come provide a service at your home — paint the home, put on the roof. If you hear someone that is working out there, not that you have employed, but that the company has.
ROMNEY: If you hear someone with a funny accent, you, as a homeowner, are supposed to go out there and say, “I want to see your papers. Is that what you’re suggesting?”

This scandal is in advance of Romney’s “Faith in America” speech on Thursday, arguably the biggest moment in his campaign so far.

UPDATE: Giuliani communications director Katie Levinson on the Romney statement: “I think it speaks for itself.”