Governor Mitt Romney is already preparing for a second place finish in Iowa trying to lower expectations.  This wasn't supposed to happen - after over a year of business-like organization, power point presentations and about 8 million dollars, Romney was supposed to easily win in Iowa.

It reminds me of the crazy season in college football - Michigan was supposed to blowout Appalachian State in the easy scheduled opener last fall.  Sports analysts said that it may have been the biggest upset in sports history when Michigan lost.  Imagine if Michigan coaches were to have pre-spun the game by lowering expectations, saying that a loss to App State wouldn't hurt Michigan's national championship hopes.  That would have been ridiculous.

Romney should have won Iowa easily.  Mike Huckabee is the Appalachian State of presidential politics this year. Everyone has underestimated him and written him off.  He was outspent 20-1, but his message has proven to connect with voters more than just money.  App State went on the win the national championship of the lower Division 1 "second tier" of NCAA.  For most of last year Huckabee was considered a "second tier" candidate.  Not any more - don't underestimate Huckabee this year.

Read excerpts from an article in Bloomberg written by Margaret Carlson about Romney's pre-spin of the Iowa caucus:

Jan. 3 (Bloomberg) -- Candidates who don't want to get caught coveting what they aren't going to get have been spinning away prior to today's Iowa vote. Those who bet it all on Iowa are now saying that winning there doesn't mean so much after all.

If you're Mitt Romney and just spent the children's inheritance on 30-second ads and a ground organization that assigns almost every voter his own precinct captain, it has to be a blow if the near-penniless Mike Huckabee beats you.

``There's no `have to win' in Iowa,'' Romney, who oversaw the 2002 Winter Olympics, told ABC television this week. ``Either the gold or the silver'' would do.

How about just a commemorative plaque? Romney's done everything but run his grandmother over with a John Deere tractor to woo Iowans. Forget his claim to have been a hunter, or the endorsement of the National Rifle Association that never happened, or the observation that his son was like a soldier in Iraq for driving an SUV all over Iowa. They're within the margin of forgettable exaggerations.

He's changed everything but his hair color. His last-minute attack on Senator John McCain for being soft on immigration was belied by his earlier statement supporting a path to citizenship for illegals and praising McCain's proposal as ``reasonable.''

Fooling No One - Romney looks like the jut-jawed Ward Cleaver, but he acts like Eddie Haskell, the unctuous TV teenager whose syrupy flattery fooled no one. After observing the candidate for months, Hartford Courant editorial writer Bill Curry says he ``wouldn't believe Romney if he were telling me his blood type while lying on an operating table.''

Governor Mike Huckabee responds from his Truth Squad to another recent attack ad by Mitt Romney.

TRUTH:  Governor Huckabee was tougher on methamphetamine manufacturers than Governor Romney. In a new attack ad released today, Governor Romney attempts to contrast his position on drugs with that of Governor Huckabee. The ad says that Romney got "Tough on Drugs Like Meth," while Governor Huckabee "Reduced Penalties for Manufacturing Meth." What Romney fails to mention is that -- even with the reductions -- Governor Huckabee was tougher on methamphetamine manufacturers than Governor Romney was.

¢ The "reduced penalty" in Arkansas was a requirement that meth manufacturers serve 50 percent of their sentence rather than 70 percent before being eligible for parole. In Arkansas, the average meth dealer spends an average of 10 years in prison.
¢ In contrast, the source quoted in the Romney ad that claimed Romney "got tough" on drugs notes, "The punishment would be either 2 1/2 years in jail or five years in prison."
 
Let's compare:  Under Huckabee, 10 years; Under Romney, 5 years

The ad also states that Romney "never pardoned a single criminal."  But this begs the question:  how many clemency cases did he actually review while he was governor of Massachusetts?  Or did he simply avoid his responsibility as chief executive of the state to review clemency cases and give petitioners a fair hearing?
The ad also points out that Governor Huckabee granted more clemencies than the "previous three governors…combined."    It doesn't mention that two of the previous three governors were Bill Clinton and convicted felon Jim Guy Tucker. Governor Huckabee's clemency rate, however, was in line with other governors who have served the state.
 
Romney also fails to acknowledge that in Arkansas, every person who is convicted of a crime and every person in prison is eligible for clemency. Because of this, the number of clemency applications is extraordinarily high. Governor Huckabee had 8,698 applications during his 10 ½ years in office.
 
Some Governors are content to simply deny the vast majority of clemency applications without bothering to consider their merit.
Governor Huckabee, however, believed that respect for the legal process required that he give them the consideration for which they were entitled.
During his tenure, Governor Huckabee denied 88 percent of the applications.
 
Before granting clemency, the Governor issues a notice of intent and opens a 30-day public comment period in which people can protest the decision. Very rarely does the public oppose a clemency because almost all are granted for minor offenses, involve reductions in fines, or reduced prison sentences that were longer than the average for a particular crime.
 
During the 10 ½ years Mike Huckabee was governor the number of government agencies and businesses that conducted background checks increased at an incredible rate. The terrorist acts of September 11, 2001, have resulted in increased concerns regarding security. Potential job candidates and long-time employees considered for promotion are under increased scrutiny.
 
Before the mainstream use of background checks, most people could have some youthful arrest, change their lives and become good, tax-paying citizens without that earlier arrest coming back to haunt them.
 
Governor Huckabee found during his time in office that each year the number of people needing clemency to clear their record increased. Denying their request prevented them from continuing to earn a good living and pay taxes. The majority of the clemency requests he granted were for this reason.
 
Nevertheless, on behalf of the Mike Huckabee for President campaign, we want to wish Governor Romney, his family and his staff, a very merry Christmas.
Additional Notes:

What is Clemency?
Clemency is the process through which the Governor considers requests for granting reprieves, commutations of sentence, and pardons after conviction.

What is a Pardon?
A pardon is the exemption of a convicted person from the penalties of an offense or crime. A pardon can be requested by someone who is no longer incarcerated.

Who May Apply for Clemency?
Any person serving a term of any number of years, life, life without parole, or a sentence of death may apply for executive clemency. A person who is not presently incarcerated may also apply.

What are the Steps in the Clemency Application Process?

1. Any person making a request for clemency must first have their application processed by the Board of Parole in what is called a screening. This will determine if there is any merit to the application. A victim can only make written recommendations to the Board of Parole during this step of the process.

2. If the application is found to have merit, it will most likely be scheduled for a hearing before the Board of Parole. A victim will be notified (if they have requested these notifications) when a hearing is scheduled and can contact the Board of Parole about providing written or oral recommendations. Once the hearing is complete the Board will vote on a recommendation to send to the Governor for final action.

3. The Governor will review the application, the recommendation of the Board of Parole, and all other pertinent materials before making his decision. If the Governor intends to grant the application for clemency, he will announce his intent and allow a 30 day period for public comment. If the Governor decides to deny the application it will be announced and no further action will be taken.

http://www.acic.org/justice/Clemency%20Process.htm

This is a Truth Squad response from Team Huckabee regarding the recent criticisms from Mitt Romney about Mike Huckabee's recent article on foreign policy.

Once again, Governor Romney has highlighted his willingness to do an “about face” on the serious issues facing the American people – especially those involving the nation’s foreign policy.

Today, Governor Romney attacked Governor Huckabee’s latest article in Foreign Affairs. In doing so he attempts to distance himself from his previous positions on the war in Iraq. Earlier this year Governor Romney endorsed setting “timetables and milestones” for Iraq policy but called for keeping them private — an approach introduced by Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor of Arkansas. Senator Pryor was so enthused to have Romney’s support that his office publicly commended the Massachusetts’s Governor, stating, “At the end of the day, the president doesn't have an exit plan.” Michael Teague, a spokesman for Pryor, said in an interview. “We think [President Bush] should be forced to develop that, and we’re happy to see Mitt Romney feels the same way.”

“I am disappointed by Governor Romney’s attempt to label me as a “Democrat” because of my tough approach to foreign policy,” said Governor Huckabee. “Perhaps he should read the article in its entirety before making such ill-informed comments.”

In contrast to Governor Romney’s claims that the surge was not working and that we needed to set a timetable for withdrawal, Governor Huckabee has been steadfast in his support of victory in Iraq and the nation’s “War on Terror.” He remains confident that the gains our Armed Forces are making in Iraq and Afghanistan will lead to increased security both at home and abroad.

Another Huckabee blogging site Huckamania.com points out that Mitt Romney was actually for Mike Huckabee for president, before he was against him:

In light of Governor Romney’s recent attack ad on Governor Huckabee, Huckamania! would like to point out yet another Romney flip flop.

Incredible…  "While at the Arkansas Governor’s Mansion for a meeting about health care, Romney demurred when asked whether a presidential race was in his future but had nice things to say about his host.

"Who knows what the future will hold?" Romney said in 2005. "Most likely, we’ll all stay as governors or find other offices, but we need to make sure that we have a strong person who can take the baton from President Bush, and Gov. Huckabee is certainly one of those individuals. He’d make a fine president."

Source: Huckamania.com Blog