"Change" and the GOP

A new ad from Mitt Romney is out, and is posted below. The message is change--one that could be very effective for Republican primary voters. The war, the recent scandals (Vitter, Craig), and now Greenspan's tongue-lashing of Bush on spending make this a timely ad. Congressman John Murtha predicted earlier this week that staying-the-course on the war in Iraq was the order of the day in Congress, until the presidential primaries end. At that point, he predicted, Republicans would jump ship and there will be policy-changes. We'll see what happens. For now, the change issue only goes so far with Romney, who basically mouths anodyne Republican talking points on foreign policy. But so do the rest of the candidates; only Ron Paul of course really embraces change on this issue. Huckabee, however, might be the "one to watch" on this issue, according to EJ Dionne: "If Republicans want a conservative nominee who has never attacked Bush on Iraq but can still signal a change in direction, Huckabee could be their man."