Clinton, IA

The Romneys spoke at Happy Joe’s pizza place here to about 60 people. It was their standard routine, but Romney was confident—saying he could win, but still playing the underdog card:

“When I got going in this campaign I think 5 or 6 percent of folks in Iowa had heard of me and thought they might support me and now it looks like I’m in a pretty good position to take this whole thing.”

In his plea to get people out to caucus he reinforced how important Iowa is:

“It’s getting real close. You’re about to say what your voice will tell you about where we should go as a nation. Who our nominee should be–the whole nation is watching.”

Romney is on the fourth day of his “Strong America” bus tour making as many stops as possible before the Iowa caucuses this Thursday.

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Mount Vernon, IA

Ann and Mitt Romney stopped at the Fuel and Nest coffee shop here on the 2nd day of his “Strong America” bus tour. Romney mentions his wife at almost stop and it’s no secret that he would rather campaign with her, often mentioning out loud how much he wants to see her.

But, today his affection for his wife was even more enthusiastic than usual. After Ann spoke, a man from the crowd yelled out, “She’s cuter than you are.”

Romney quipped back, “That’s not saying much. She’s a cute girl. She’s hot too!” Romney then licked his finger and made a sizzle noise, “SSSSSSS!”  The crowd burst into laughter and left the press corps giggling until. . .well we are still laughing.

Click on the link below to see Mitt and his “hot” wife, Ann!

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Bus from Missouri Valley, IA to Council Bluffs, IA—

Governor Romney came on the press bus today to give his daily media availability. The bus driving on icy, bumpy Iowa roads, not to mention the dark interior was a struggle video wise. I was wobbling all over the bus.

Even with those obstacles, Romney lashed out against his main rival here in Iowa, Governor Huckabee, and his rival in New Hampshire, Senator McCain. They were both the focus of two different attack ads launched by the Romney camp earlier today.

Romney went after McCain when he was asked to respond to the Arizona Senator’s new ad. The commercial is a response to the ad the Romney campaign launched:

“I begin the ad indicating that he is an honorable man. I believe he is, a good person. I make no attacks on his character, no attacks of a personal nature whatsoever. I’ve just seen the text of his ad and it is obvious of a very different nature. It’s an attack ad. It attacks me personally. It’s nasty. It’s mean spirited. Frankly, it tells you more about Senator McCain than it does about me that he would run an ad like that. “

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The former Iowa frontrunner also answered questions about his new attack ad aimed at Huckabee:

“Our ad does its very best to describe Governor Huckabee’s positions and if there is anything in that ad that is not accurate I would like to know what it is. Did he not grant 1,033 pardons? If he didn’t I want to know that. . .Did his budget not go from 6.7 billion dollars. That was the budget of the previous governor. He then came in and grew that over a period of years to 16.1 billion. If that’s not accurate then give us the right number. . . our ad is honest and it describes what he did, what his positions were as governor. They happen to be different than mine.”

In a particularly testy moment the governor was asked why he didn’t contrast his own foreign policy record in the new ad, instead just quoting Secretary of State Rice’s remarks regarding Huckabee:

“My foreign policy is brilliant. I’m not sure how I can contrast my foreign policy. I did not accuse the president of having an arrogant bunker mentality and he did and Condoleezza Rice called that accusation ludicrous and I agree. “

Romney spoke to the press between the fifth and sixth stops on the bus tour. He campaigned with his wife Ann today and they both gave their “closing arguments” to the Iowa people. Romney continues campaigning all over Iowa tomorrow with six more stops trying to get Iowa voters to caucus for him in less than a week.

Sioux Center, IA–

The Romneys made their second stop on the “Strong America” bus tour at Casey’s Bakery here. They spoke to a small crowd of voters in this very conservative part of the state. The Romneys stuck to their new “closing arguments” stump and the former frontrunner here stayed away from attacking his rival Mike Huckabee, leaving that to the new ad launched today.

Romney did mention Pakistan in light of Former Prime Minister Bhutto’s assassination:

“There’s a new challenge of national security. It’s a challenge which involves an asymmetric foe, radical violent jihadists who just apparently carried out an attack, a murder in Pakistan, who have their tentacles throughout the world and are trying to bring down all moderate nations.”

He also spoke about change and innovation in the future in America and the big job that the next President will have in store for him:

“I think you’re going to see more change in the next 10 years than we’ve probably seen over the last 10 centuries. And so the next president is going to have to be able to draw on the strength of the American people and lift their eyes and optimism towards the opportunities we have and overcome the challenges honestly that we face, and at the same time draw on the innovative spirit in a nation and a world that’s changing.”

The presidential hopeful has made his stump much shorter today and hasn’t been taking questions. This is rare for a Romney campaign stop, but this allows the camp to control their message and preserve the on/off moving feel of the bus tour.

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