The American Spectator

Returning from atonement( the list is long) I see the last 24 hours have been eventful. Two conservatives with a good ear at the GOP gathering in Mackinac think Rudy rocked, giving a top performance. And Romney, one thinks not a good outing at all. ( If "ACLU" and "USA" share two letters should we rename our country "S" to avoid confusion?). Another report is less harsh, but only slightly. Sometimes Romney does have an off night, as he did at the NRO Summit in January, but unfortunately his slips have come in high visibilty settings. ( A function of doing too many events?)

Thompson speaks later but made some news earlier today. Apparently, he now is clearly stating the McCain Feingold issue ad ban was a mistake. However, he continues to back the concept of a soft money ban which is the heart of McCain Feingold. Some point out that the assault on the First Amendment is at the heart of McCain Feingold, while the issue ad ban is merely its most obnoxious aspect. This position shift ( in 2003 he filed an amicus brief defending McCain Feingold and the issue ad ban specifically) will make it easier to gain acceptance from conservative organizations like the NRA and Club for Growth which considered the issue ad ban an outrage. His opponents will scream "flip flop" and note that he never saw anything wrong with the issue ad ban until he started his presidential run. Does the average voter care about this? As an isolated issue, no. However, if opponents make it part of a larger theme that he is not the consistent conservative but another opportunistic one who has changed his stripes on this and other issues(e.g. No Child Left Behind, immigration) to appear more conservative he will have further difficulty explaining to those looking for an alternative to Rudy why he is a preferable choice over Romney.

UPDATE: And Thompson was so so, according to one report. Another says "flops."