The Wall Street Journal-20080201-Campaign -08- Romney-s Comeback Plan Trumpets His Conservatism

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Campaign '08: Romney's Comeback Plan Trumpets His Conservatism

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LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Mitt Romney hopes to revive his Republican campaign by championing himself as the last true conservative contender.

"We're quite far apart," Mr. Romney said of John McCain yesterday at a news conference here. "That distinction is what will, in the final analysis, be my best weapon in a battle to the finish."

To survive in the race, Mr. Romney must stop Arizona Sen. McCain's momentum on Tuesday, when 21 states select among Republican candidates. So far, Sen. McCain has won in New Hampshire, South Carolina and Florida, while Mr. Romney has taken Michigan and Nevada.

Sen. McCain has made his sharpest attacks against Mr. Romney on character issues, saying the former Massachusetts governor is unqualified to lead the country and can't be trusted because of his changes of heart on key issues.

"I appreciate the fact that Gov. Romney has been entirely consistent. He has consistently taken at least two sides of every issue. Sometimes more than two," Sen. McCain said during the campaign in Florida leading up to Tuesday's primary. Comparing his experience in the Navy to Mr. Romney's former career in venture capital, Sen. McCain said: "I did not manage for profit. I led for patriotism."

Mr. Romney generally hasn't sought to counter those charges or make his own attacks on Sen. McCain's character. Instead, he has focused on the senator's positions in Congress, citing examples when Sen. McCain teamed up with Democrats on legislation. At a rally in Orange County, Calif., yesterday, Mr. Romney shouted critiques of the McCain-Feingold campaign-finance bill, which restricted certain types of political donations. The co-sponsor, Sen. Russell Feingold of Wisconsin, is a liberal Democrat.

Mr. McCain's maverick voting record and occasional more-liberal stances have angered many party stalwarts. Still, polls suggest Mr. Romney is trailing Sen. McCain by double digits as they head into Super Tuesday, when more delegates are up for grabs than in all the earlier contests combined.

Asked about the attacks on Sen. McCain's conservative credentials, a spokeswoman for the senator said he is a conservative and "conservative principles" such as spending discipline and a strong defense will guide his presidency if he is elected.

After a month of state-by-state competition, Mr. Romney now must spread his name and his message to voters across the country. He is expected to spend $2 million to $3 million, including for TV ads in California, according to Romney aides. Mr. Romney himself said yesterday he had approved a "seven-figure" allotment to go on the air in several states, including California.

One bright spot for Mr. Romney is that the field has been whittled down. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee remains in the race and could do well in Southern states, but he lacks the funds for a broad national campaign.

Florida's exit polls showed Mr. Romney with strong support among voters who identified themselves as conservatives. Based on those numbers, Mr. Romney began sharpening his strategy early Wednesday as his campaign-chartered Boeing 737 flew over the Rocky Mountains. With most of the entourage asleep, the candidate sat at the front of the plane in the fold-down seat typically reserved for a flight attendant, surrounded by three of his aides, a notepad in hand.

One senior adviser said Mr. Romney could use something big to "move the ground," citing as an example the endorsement of Democratic contender Barack Obama by Sen. Edward Kennedy and other Kennedy family members.

So far, Mr. McCain has received the headline-grabbing endorsements, including Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and, yesterday, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Mr. Romney, with his background as a businessman and governor, has fewer Washington connections. His theme has been "Washington is Broken."

Romney staffers complain their candidate received a low blow when Sen. McCain alleged last week that Mr. Romney had advocated a timetable for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. They called that a distortion of a nine-month-old remark where Mr. Romney expressed no such view.

Among voters yesterday, Mr. Romney continued to fight back as he had in Florida, with policy arguments heavy on numbers. When asked if he would go after Sen. McCain's character, Mr. Romney said: "We disagree on a number of issues. I'll talk about those issue differences . . . but I'm not going be talking about personality matters."