Can Romney Win?

David Berstein says Mitt Romney's (R) chances to win the Republican presidential nomination depend on becoming the consensus alternative to frontrunner Sen. John McCain (R-AZ). According to polls, however, the person mouting the biggest challenge to McCain is Rudy Giuliani (R), not Romney.

"But some analysts and Republican insiders doubt that Giuliani is really planning to run for president. He’s just not that stupid: he does not imagine that Republican primaries can be won by a pro-choice, pro-gun-control New Yorker who moved in with a gay couple when his wife kicked him out of the mayor’s residence for having an extra-marital affair.

"Giuliani’s exploratory committee likely has a more short-term, pragmatic purpose: replacing his Solutions America political-action committee as the vehicle that pays him and his staff to travel around the country, speaking and raising money for himself and others. And, to maintain his A-list national profile."

As a result, all of Romney's actions in the last few months have been to ensure that he's seen as the viable conservative alternative to McCain -- someone who can speak to religious conservatives as well as business conservatives.

Can Romney Win?