THE ROMINEE

◼ With Rick Santorum’s decision to bow out of the Republican presidential nomination race, Mitt Romney becomes the default nominee for the Republican Party. But then again, he was the default all along – he was everyone’s second choice, beloved by few, respected by all. - Breitbart

In the end, though, Romney was the best candidate. That doesn’t mean he was the best conservative, or the most principled politician, or the most electable man on the stage. It means that he weathered attacks with aplomb, showed he had sharp elbows, and didn’t make any crucial gaffes to undercut the basic message of his campaign: that he was a highly skilled and competent campaigner. Romney campaigned on his managerial skills, and if his campaign is any indicator, he is indeed a master manager.

The question now is whether the master manager can defeat the master manipulator.