Romney is Living a Nightmare

Poor guy:

Since telling reporters in January that having to tap his personal fortune - he is worth between $190 million and $250 million - for the campaign would be "akin to a nightmare," Romney has written $15 million in checks. At the time of his "nightmare" comment, he had already loaned $2.4 million.

But don't worry - putting $17.4 million of his own money into his campaign is virtuous:

"I am going to contribute to my campaign, but my campaign is not entirely being financed by my own resources," he said during a campaign stop yesterday in Derry, N.H., adding that he could not expect others to give if he did not give himself. "The campaign is being financed primarily through the donations of others."

Romney really is the show candidate. It's not just that all his political beliefs are entirely on the surface, with his only core conviction being his desire to be president.  No, his impressive-for-a-Republican $62.4 million in fundraising is a surface thing, too, with 28% of it coming from himself, and his leads in early primary states are less from deep support than from the fact that he's spent $8 million on 10,000 ads running almost entirely in Iowa and New Hampshire, with a touch of South Carolina and Florida.

But what will happen when his competitors start advertising seriously?  Will the name recognition and familiarity with his blandsome face and slick hair that those 10,000 ads have bought stand up?  Or will it be another nightmare?