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"When Romney tried to present himself as the most conservative of conservative candidates — remember when he said, playing on Paul Wellstone’s old line, that he represented “the Republican wing of the Republican party”? — a lot of conservatives in Iowa and South Carolina and beyond didn’t quite know what to think. When they saw video of him in the fall of 2002 — not that long ago, during a debate in his run for Massachusetts governor — vowing to “preserve and protect a woman’s right to choose” five times in a relatively brief period of time, they didn’t quite know what to think. When they saw video of him almost indignantly saying that “I wasn’t a Ronald Reagan conservative” and “Look, I was an independent during the time of Reagan/Bush; I am not trying to return to Reagan/Bush” — they didn’t quite know what to think. And when they read the letter he wrote saying he would “seek to establish full equality for America’s gay and lesbian citizens” even more than Ted Kennedy, they didn’t quite know what to think."

A Massachusetts liberal with his record readily available on video can hardly pass himself off as a conservative. His candidacy was like Rudy's: DOA.

Of course, McCain's should be DOA too. Probably will be in the general.

A Massachusetts liberal with his record readily available on video can hardly pass himself off as a conservative.

Romney is like many conservatives who are rock solid in their personal family values and conservative faith-based morals, but occasionally feel the need to say "accepting" things in public just to prove we are not these 'monster' bigots who will only "accept" white heterosexual males.

Ann Coulter mentioned this phenonenom recently.

For example, I am so projecting in my right wing beliefs that I occasionally feel the need to admit that I can "accept" someone with whom I vigorously disagree on moralistic issues, just to prove how "human" and "compassionate" I am.

I fully believe THAT is why Romney made those pandering statements.

Unfortunately for Romney, he was trying to prove to the voting public in 1994 how "tolerant" he was, and thus made a few pandering statements in search of votes.

Same in 2002 during the Governors race ... just to prove he wasn't this straight-laced uber-Mormon that everyone made him out to be.

Romney was a victim of his own attempt to portray himself as super nice to everybody.