Romney in repose

(Economist).MITT ROMNEY'S speech at CPAC was the hottest ticket of the weekend so far. Students and attendees lined up around the halls of the hotel, back to the registration table ,But Mr Romney's speech struck a surprising tone, thick with meaning for the 2012 campaign.

He started, as is always risky for Mr Romney, with a joke. "There are rumours that Sarah Palin might get an $11m book deal," he said. "My publisher is talking to me about $11m, too." Comedic pause. "But I don't think I can come up with the money."

The joke was important, though, for the way it set up Mr Romney's low-key speech. He cautioned conservatives not to be disagreeable and attack Barack Obama's character. He pointed out that he supported the $700 billion financial rescue package in September 2007, because he thought the currency was in danger. He defended his health-care reform in Massachusetts, a mandate-driven plan that conservatives attacked mercilessly throughout the 2008 campaign.

It seemed as though Mr Romney was anticipating a race against a more populist Republican candidate, like Sarah Palin or Mike Huckabee. In 2008, reporters were cold on Mr Romney, knocking him as a soulless flip-flopper who was changing his positions to win over the conservative base. But in 2012, who is the Republican likely to get the nicest treatment from the press? There isn't one. That's Mr Romney's opening, hence his latest re-incarnation.