The Occasional Observer

National Review has been the one conservative outlet that's been fairly pro-Mitt from the start. David Frum, in his Diary blog, makes the case for why he thinks Mitt has a great chance to take the Presidency:

Romney has benefited from the secret issue in the 2008 presidential race: competence. Since Hurricane Katrina, Americans have lost faith in George W. Bush's ability to manage the government. In every poll conducted after the summer of 2005, about 60% of Americans describe Bush as "ineffective." Suddenly, everybody wants a president who can make government work.

Amazingly, though, hardly any of the leading 2008 candidates have ever run anything bigger than a senator's office. John McCain? The former pilot, congressman and senator has zero administrative experience. Hillary Clinton? She had a good view of how the White House is run—but no responsibility for running it. Barack Obama? A former community activist, state legislator and two-year veteran of the U.S. Senate—zilch. Al Gore? He's in the same situation as Hillary Clinton. Tom Vilsack, the Democratic governor of Iowa, and Mike Huckabee, Republican governor of Arkansas, are both super long shots.In fact, only two candidates in the race have ever successfully managed a large organization: Rudy Giuliani and . . . Mitt Romney.

...

Romney's record is not so well known as Giuliani's. But in its own sphere, it is as impressive. In 1984, Romney launched a venture capital firm that funded, among other successes, a startup called Staples. Over his 14 years at the firm, he earned an annual return of 113%. When the 2002 Olympics tumbled into scandal and financial crisis, the state of Utah called on Romney—and the games finished with a US$100-million profit.Romney had unsuccessfully challenged Ted Kennedy for a Massachusetts Senate seat in 1994. In 2002, he ran for the governorship. He inherited a US$3-billion deficit; over the next four years, he balanced the state's budget without raising taxes.

These facts, impressive as they are, do not quite convey Romney's appeal. Romney built his business success on a voracious appetite for data, a willingness to hear contrary opinions and a cool and deliberate decision-making style. Although his politics broadly align with George W. Bush's, his intellectual and managerial style could not differ more.