Mitt Romney developing into clear GOP favorite

Romney was expected to do well in the New Hampshire primary. He didn't disappoint. To pundits, Romney's finish was of less interest than was the race for this week's latest Not Romney.

Romney has gone from perceived front-runner to presumptive nominee as divisions within the party are starting to dissolve. The White House is preparing for November not so much to run against the Republican nominee, whoever he might be, but to run against Mitt Romney. And Romney is likewise preparing for November.

Unfortunately, he must do a lot of preparation before then. A race that has come down to the big four — Romney, Ron Paul, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich — needs to quickly reach the big one.

Romney clearly has the best chance of beating Barack Obama. It's foolish to think that any of the four besides Romney, tried and tested as they are by the primary season, could beat this president.

That doesn't mean they will go quietly. Indeed most of the pack had begun focusing on the next stop, the Jan. 21 primary in South Carolina, before the votes were counted in New Hampshire. The assaults on Romney continued apace Wednesday, with Gingrich hammering on Romney's former venture capitalist days. Gingrich also tried to appeal to the GOP's ideological base, saying he would fight “anti-Christian bigotry.”