The American Spectator

Romney's much discussed "Ocean" ad is a savvy move on the eve of Fred Thompson's entry into the race. With so much talk about abortion and which of these candidate's pro-life credentials are stronger and more consistent, Romney is upping the ante. By invoking the "culture wars" Romney can shift the conversation to more favorable ground -- his message about our "polluted" culture, his own devoted family and his battle against gay marriage in Massachusetts. In essence he will be saying, talk is cheap but look who I am and what I have done. The not so subtle message: while Thompson was working for Hollywood, I was fighting it. If social conservatives come to believe that more than one social issue counts, Romney stands to capture a chunk of this portion of the base.

And Jim Geraghty makes the point that Rudy Giuliani has his own culture war credentials in cleaning up New York.