As The Hill and other media have reported, in the New Hampshire presidential straw poll Mitt Romney came in first and Ron Paul came in second. What does this suggest?



First, the clear front-runner for the Republican nomination is Romney. By comparison, Sarah Palin for president in 2012 is largely a fiction of cable television with too much time to fill and not enough real news to fill it. The big news on the Republican side is the great advantage now held by Romney.



Second and equally interesting, the strong showing by Ron Paul emphasizes a point I have been making for many months, that Paul could make a powerful showing if he runs for the Republican nomination.



Paul, whose visibility and stature will rise as he assumes a subcommittee chairmanship with jurisdiction over the Federal Reserve Board, has a large contingent of very loyal supporters and significant fundraising capability, and his strengths would play well in a Republican primary or caucus system.



I will soon write a column about another underrated Republican possibility (hint: He is now an ambassador). For now, don't underestimate Mitt Romney's strength as the current front-runner, or Ron Paul's potential strength if he enters the presidential campaign.







