Romney won’t run

Via Memeorandum, Mitt Romney won’t run for Kennedy’s Senate seat:

Responding to speculation that Romney may be interested in the seat — which he challenged Kennedy for in 1994 — Eric Fehrnstrom, a spokesman for Romney’s political action committee, told POLITICO that the former one-term governor has no interest in campaigning to replace Kennedy.

Well, Romney’s running for president, right? I wondered whether he could win the Senate seat – a loss wouldn’t bode real well for somebody aiming at the Big Chair. But later in the story:

According to a Rasmussen Reports poll released the day before Kennedy’s death late Tuesday night, Romney rated second after the late nine-term senator as the most respected politician in the state.

Huh. On the other hand, would winning a Senate race help Romney? GOP 12 says no:

…in order to get into the White House these days, you have to get out of politics — that’s the way the system works now, at least for front-runners.

Okay, how ’bout this, then: Romney acts the kingmaker, stands above the rough and nasty of a special election, and thus raises his value without risking a personal defeat.

Unless he invests himself too much in the Republican candidate, and that candidate crashes and burns. Loses by…oh, let’s say 12 points or more. Then forget the kingmaker thing.

On the other hand, Romney can’t exactly stay out of the race, can he? If he does, doesn’t he risk being called a political coward?

Too many variables. Trog brain hurt. Regardless, considering the current brouhaha over Obamacare, Romney’s going to have some ‘splaining to do about RomneyCare before he gets the Republican nod in 2012.