The American Spectator

The chickens may be coming home to roost in New Hampshire where Romney's record and the breadth of his transformation are familiar to savvy voters and where his new found fidelity to the social conservative issues doesn't get him many points. The flip flop issue and the "ask the lawyers" problems are not unrelated. Is he resolute and firm in what he believes or is he a poser? Is he playing a tough commander in chief or can he convince voters he won't buckle under pressure? His opponents are asking voters to focus on these questions. How he responds and if he can put concerns to rest will go a long way to determining whether Romney can right his ship.

Meanwhile, his campaign is trying to change the topic, circulating another of the "three legged stool" messages. Thompson, will come out after almost a week out of sight, to give an address to the Conservative Party of New York in which he will stress "This is not a time for philosophical flexibility, it is a time to stand up for what we believe in. I spent eight years in Washington fighting for smaller government, lower taxes, less regulation, and conservative judges. With me, what you see is what you get. I was a proud conservative yesterday, I remain one today, and I will be one tomorrow. " (His campaign may be aware the "where is he?" line is gaining traction and puts out a schedule for the week. However, he includes an appearance by his wife to fill out the schedule, a number of the events are closed to the media and there are no retail events or town hall meetings. He will be hitting the same stops as other GOP contenders -- Republican Jewish Coalition, Club for Growth and the Values Voter Summit.)