Romney Is Better Prepared to Lead America than Anyone, whether Democrat or Republican

Last week, a new poll sponsored by The Daily Caller and Vox Populi of the Republicans showed Mike Huckabee, Paul Ryan and Jeb Bush in a dead heat to win the 2016 Iowa Republican caucuses. Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, took in 20%; Ryan, the Wisconsin congressman and 2012 vice presidentia nominee, won 19%; and Bush, the former governor of Florida and brother of former President George W. Bush, garnered 18%. Other possible Republicans are in single digits in the poll : Texas Senator Ted Cruz (9%); Florida Senator Marco Rubio (9%); Kentucky Senator Rand Paul (8%); New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (7%); and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker (6%). Huckabee, now a Fox News host, won the GOP Iowa caucuses in 2008. With newly-acquired wealth and a loyal following of social conservatives, Huckabee is expected to seriously consider a 2016 run. Ryan, likely to become chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, has not made many moves yet indicating he is serious about running but remains popular among the donor class of the GOP. Bush, who like Huckabee and Ryan passed on running for the White House in 2012, is believed to be taking seriously the possibility of a 2016 campaign, although he is expected to encounter problems with the Republican base over his support for immigration reform and common core educational standards. While Republicans are preparing for a competitive nominating process in 2016, Democrats appear ready to coalesce behind former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton if she pulls the trigger on a run. Among Iowa Democrats polled, Clinton took in 71%, followed by 13% for Vice President Joe Biden, who has not closed the door on another run for president. (Biden ran for president in 1988 and 2008.) Clinton, who lost the Democratic nomination to President Obama, is considering a run, although there is speculation that her health could keep her out of the race. Conservatives have also vowed to make the Benghazi attacks of 2012 a major issue if she runs - surely aided by the latest White House email made public revealing top level White House and Department of State involvement in creating a web of lies to cover up Obama and Clinton non-action on the night the Benghazi compound was attacked and four Americans were killed. But despite the recent chatter that the liberal Massachusetts senator and Wall Street foe Elizabeth Warren could be a formidable populist challenger to Clinton in a Democratic primary, Iowa voters prefer Clinton (70%). Warren - who nearly lost her race for Senate in 2012 because of questions about why she once claimed minority status as a Native American - would win just 10% in an Iowa Democratic caucus, according to the poll. Other Democrats are in single digits in the poll: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (3%); former Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer (2%); and Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley (1%). ~~~~~ Dear readers, the clustering of the top GOP presidential hopefuls at around 20% in Iowa is troubling. It represents an important and continuing split in Republican sentiment about who the candidate should be. Ryan represents fiscal conservatism. Huckabee represents social conservatism. Bush is the more moderate, perhaps "conservatism with a heart" candidate, if he chooses to run. It makes last week's rumors that former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney may take another run at the White House even more interesting. Veteran newscaster Bob Schieffer has said that despite Romney’s repeated claims that he’s not interested in joining the GOP race for 2016, the ex-Massachusetts governor could run if former Florida Governor Jeb Bush opts out : "I have a source that told me that if Jeb Bush decides not to run, that Mitt Romney may actually try it again," Schieffer said during a panel discussion on a Sunday morning news show. After his loss to President Barack Obama in 2012, Romney left the spotlight for more than a year. But in recent weeks, he’s re-emerged on the political scene, becoming a speaker at GOP fundraisers. The Washington Post reported that Romney and Bush have similar moderate positions on foreign and domestic policy, both have the approval of the GOP establishment, but neither is seen as conservative enough for right-wing tea party supporters. However, Romney has taken Obama to task on his handling of the crisis in Ukraine while criticizing him for Obamacare and saying that the president has been "groping" for an agenda in his second term. Romney has also endorsed 16 candidates in the 2014 elections, most of whom are long-term supporters who backed his losing campaign against Obama, the Post reported. Bush, the son of President George H.W. Bush and brother of President George W. Bush, had been seen in March as the GOP candidate most likely to beat Democrat Hillary Clinton in a race for the White House. But he angered many conservatives recently by declaring that it’s "an act of love" when immigrants slip into the United States illegally to help their struggling families. It may be that when the November congressional elections are over - and if the GOP has gained control of both the House and Senate - that Mitt Romney will emerge as the de facto leader of a Party that finally will have won the ability to coalesce around a unified legislative program. That program will inevitably be very much like Romney's 2012 presidential platform -- strong foreign policy, tax reform, lower business taxes and fewer meaningless regulations to stimulate economic growth and job creation, energy independence with an emphasis on using all America's fuel capabilities, and budget control tied to a reduction in the national debt. Romney was right in 2012. The GOP should seriously consider letting him finish the job. He is better prepared to lead the country than anyone - whether left or right, Democrat or Republucan.