I have, for some time, talked of the inevitability of a Romney nomination. I have not seen any plausible way he could be beaten with the huge advantage he holds in resources and organization. And quite frankly he is the only Republican with a chance to beat the President. I felt he held some real sway in the early primary states, and if he could steal Iowa, and then follow it with a big win in New Hampshire, the road would be paved for him. But for the first time Romney is showing some real cracks in his armor, with the antipathy of the Republican base possibly being fatal to him.

A new Florida poll from Public Policy has Romney trailing Newt Gingrich in Florida by 30 points. No that is not a typo. Gingrich is polling at 47% to 17% for Romney, with Herman Cain at 15%. Everyone else is in single digits. With Gingrich leading the pack in Iowa, and closing in on Romney in New Hampshire, an early knockout of Romney could be had by a Gingrich win in Iowa, followed by a close second in New Hampshire, with wins in South Carolina and Florida by Gingrich putting Romney down for the count. Romney just cannot seem to close the deal with Republican conservatives. And that failure now has him in some peril.