Can I copyright that? "The Quiet March to Victory" is exactly what I think I'm seeing on the horizon for Mitt. If this election is anything like the last elections of the past 3 decades, the winner of Iowa and New Hampshire will win the nomination.

Rudy had his best chance for a early primary win in Iowa... but he has blown it. Another quick stat: no candidate has missed the Iowa Ames Straw poll and gone on to win the caucuses. By pulling out of Iowa Rudy is now relying on his high numbers in the South. But, it turns out, Thompson is taking a good bite out of his apple.

Donald Lambro writes this morning:

"So here is the potential political scenario that could be shaping up next year: Romney wins the Iowa caucuses, giving his campaign Big Mo right out of the starting gate, and cover stories in all the news magazines and the nightly news shows. He builds on that by winning New Hampshire one week later on Jan. 22, which sends him into the Southern primaries, where Giuliani now leads. Such a scenario runs into two big variables that could block Romney's well-laid plans to elbow his way to the front of the pack."

...

"In the meantime, Matinee Mitt, running as a veto-wielding, deficit-crushing, tax-cutting conservative and the heir to the Reagan mantle, has become the front-runner in the two earliest and likely pivotal party contests. Whether he can leverage that into the nomination of his party remains to be seen."

All in all, I'm encouraged that this is a silent victory so far. Expectations are everything. Once the general populace (outside of the NH, IA, and SC) gets wind of the unexpected Romney victories... I think the momentum will be that much more powerful in the later states.