Hotline:
-- While Gingrich lost just about all of his staff this week, on the other end of the spectrum, Romney enjoyed a very productive week that showed once again how he's applying valuable lessons learned from 2008 to avoid repeat mistakes this time around. The latest example is his decision to skip straw polls in Iowa, Florida and Michigan, highly unpredictable contests that can help long-shots and hurt front-runners. Romney stood to lose more from poor showings than he would have gained from positive ones, and is smart to stay above the fray.
-- Meanwhile, Romney received a boost without lifting a finger when Monday's underwhelming jobs report showed a slight uptick in unemployment, providing him with an ideal platform to continue making his aggressive case that President Obama's economic policies have "failed" the country. Every day that he spends on the offensive over jobs and unemployment is another day he doesn't have to play defense over auto bailouts, climate change or Romneycare.
