A perfect GOP candidate is hard to find 3-22-2011
Candidates can't simply ignore their flaws or obstacles; their challengers certainly won't.
Just ask Democrat John Kerry. He was vexed in 2004 by questions about his service in Vietnam and about his reputation as an elitist. Only after widely debunked claims about his Vietnam record started to sink his poll numbers did the campaign effectively respond - and by then it was too late.
"You really have to drive the boat into the fire and be fearless about your record," said Michael Meehan, a Democratic consultant on Kerry's campaign.
Romney, for one, has started to address his biggest policy problem: the health care plan he signed into law as Massachusetts governor, which Obama and the Democrats used as the basis for their national overhaul plan. The White House gleefully points out the similarities.
"Our experiment wasn't perfect - some things worked, some didn't, and some things I'd change," Romney said recently in New Hampshire. But, he added, "one thing I would never do is to usurp the constitutional power of states with a one-size-fits-all federal takeover."
