Romney Is "Delighted" With "Important Victory"

By: Scott Conroy
Topics: Mitt Romney

(CBS)

From CBS News' Scott Conroy:

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. -- Mitt Romney built his campaign on a carefully managed strategy to win early and often, and Iowa was arguably the most important piece of the puzzle for the former Massachusetts governor. But that did not stop Romney from putting a positive spin on last night's damaging defeat.

"Things look very good for me at this stage," Romney said at a morning press conference that felt more like the middle of night to the slew of staffers and reporters who hadn't slept in over 24 hours. "I'm very, very pleased. I was delighted, as you know, with a second place finish. I wish I'd have had a first-place finish, but being able to beat three household names — John McCain, Rudy Giuliani and Fred Thompson — was an important victory for me."

Romney is now setting his sights squarely on John McCain, who has caught up to Romney at the top of recent N.H. polls. Asked how he was planning on regaining momentum, the man who built a career on turning around businesses and a scandal-plagued Olympics had a simple message that he will push relentlessly leading up to the New Hampshire primary: Change, change, change.

"The message I got out of Iowa was that people in Iowa said they want change," Romney said. "The two Washington insiders — John McCain and Hillary Clinton — both lost. John McCain by a lot. And I look at that and say what you're seeing from the people of Iowa is that they want someone from outside Washington to come in and change things in Washington. And that's right up my alley. There's no way Senator McCain is going to be able to come to New Hampshire and say he's the candidate that represents change and he'll change Washington. He is Washington."

Scott Conroy
Scott Conroy is a National Political Reporter for RealClearPolitics and a contributor for CBS News.
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by mww7786 January 5, 2008 7:13 AM EST: Don''t worry Scott... I''m an big Romney fan as well. This is a long race atleast a year away. The last thing we want is for Mitt to jump right out infront. Media loves Romney.

Don''t worry about the KKK.; Reply to this comment


by pakaal January 4, 2008 6:34 PM EST: ClubbieTim wrote: "Politics are all local and it seems that for people in Iowa, they don''t care about the future of this country as long as they can relate to their cross-eyed pastor."

Never been to the state, but I have to point out that even Third-place Clinton beat top GOP winner Huckabee by almost twice the votes. It''s misleading to talk about "Huck''s win" without the larger context of "Republican trouncing."; Reply to this comment


by winghunter January 4, 2008 6:16 PM EST: Clearly, Iowa had no idea who these candidates are and in time they will realize it to, mush to their own embarrassment.

Candidate Research - Know Who You''re Voting For
http://sayanythingblog.com/readers/entry/candidate_research_know_who_youre_voting_for/; Reply to this comment


by ClubbieTim January 4, 2008 5:56 PM EST: Politics are all local and it seems that for people in Iowa, they don''t care about the future of this country as long as they can relate to their cross-eyed pastor.
America will never elect Huck and the GOP will certainly implode if that''s their best candidate.

Can someone tell me why Iowa gets all the love? They don''t even have a professional sports team...What about Arizona? Colorado? Maine? Portland? Pick a state with highest per capita education level; the state with the highest per capital voter turnout?

Our government struggles because we vote for people like "W"/"Huck" and not the most qualified...; Reply to this comment


by bostonbb3 January 4, 2008 5:37 PM EST: Talk about stupidity, voting for a candidate solely because he shares your religion, to the exclusion of all else. Are all evangelicals complete religious bigots, or just the ones in Iowa? Remove Iowa''s Evangelical Sheep and Mitt would have won Iowa by a landslide. Mike Huckabee is guilty of the worst kind of slimy, deceitful campaigning - playing on the religious bigotry he shares with his evangelical followers. Shame on you Iowa, for falling for it. What an embarrassment to the nation.

Please tell me that other states are smarter and will correct this huge error that threatens to hand the democrats the White House as well as complete control of Congress.

New Hampshire now has the critical task of setting things strait by giving Romney a convincing win over McCain so he can go into South Carolina with enough momentum to defeat Huckabee there. A McCain win splits the conservatives, which is exactly what Giuliani needs for his strategy to work. In other words, a vote for McCain is actually a vote for Giuliani, and everyone knows it. The nation wants a fresh face that can provide strong new leadership with true conservative values. That is not McCain. that is not Giuliani. That is Romney.; Reply to this comment


by duktig1 January 4, 2008 4:33 PM EST: Flange Squeal,
Your comment regarding a white salamander illustrates that you really do not know what you are talking about. You assume that because you saw these words in some anti-mormon literature, it must be true. As it turns out, the reference to a white salamander was written in a letter presumed to have been written by Joseph Smith. It turns out, however, that the letter was never an authentic document but was istead forged by a man named Mark Hoffman. This man also planted letter bombs around Salt Lake City to kill some of his enemies. Your continuing to use this terminology illustrates your lack of understanding and your willingness to absorb whatever trash that fits your preconceived idea of what Mormons really believe. You mock another''s "cross-eyed" belief, but you do so by holding your own inaccurate and inflammatory beliefs about the other religion yourself.; Reply to this comment


by jonaleen January 4, 2008 4:23 PM EST: Rommney is never going to win this election simply because of the crushing hate that follow all members of the LDS Faith; especially in the eastern states. There are those that think Gov. Boggs had it right when he issued the extermination order for all Mormons. That black flower is about to blossom again in this issue and it is well rooted in the soil of stupidity, ignorance, and bigotry, and amply fertilized by satan and his helpers.; Reply to this comment


by gumbystretch January 4, 2008 3:57 PM EST: Romney''s campaing is going down in flames. The voters of Iowa saw through his pandering and dishonesty, just as the good people of NH will next week. McCain will win NH, and make it a two-man race moving into SC. Romney is finished.; Reply to this comment


by scottfromaz January 4, 2008 3:54 PM EST: A Republican stronghold will now not vote Republican because of Huckabee, he insults Rush Limbaugh and every east coast Republican.

Pisses off half the Republican base in the west who are LDS and somehow he''s going win the general election.

Let me you guys right tell right now, I will hire a company to distribute 100,000 in 6 different states and flyers about how he raised taxes in Arkansas, and let 12 convicted murders walk because they found Jesus, one later killed someone in Missouri, because Huckabee.

6 ethic violations by Huckabee that he was found guilty of. Guilty.

His son hung a dog from a tree and beat it to death. And Huck try to cover it up.

Wanted Quranteed AIDS patients in 1992 and stills stand by that.

And you annoint this guy because you hate Romney''s religon so much you support this guy.

I will do the flyers in each of the following states Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Wyoming and Idaho; Reply to this comment


by scottfromaz January 4, 2008 3:38 PM EST: FlangeSqueal I am not Mormon, but my best friends are and they are the most geniune people I have ever met, you better shut your *** up, you bigot... Hide behind your keyboard, Jacka.. If you were standing here I would lay into your ***; Reply to this comment