There is an anecdotal story of when you (Mitt) ran for governor of Massachusetts that you had aids write down all of the promises you made on the campaign trail.  When you took office, there were 70 of them.  When you left office, you has been able to check them all off.

If this story is true, it’s time to use it.  It will help counter the Etch-a-Sketch narrative (but we still think you should own it).

Here’s an ad proposal to make the most of the Etch-A-Sketch issue… don’t run from it, embrace it:

Show an Etch-A-Sketch with “Obamacare”, shake it away.

Show it with “None of the Above Energy Policy”, shake it away.

Show it with “Crony Capitalism”, shake it away.

Show it with “Excessive Regulation”, shake it away.

Show it with “Growing Government Bureaucracy”, shake it away.

Show it with “Wars with out a Mission”, shake it away.

Show it with “Inflationary Monetary Policy”, shake it away.

Show it with “Liberal judges who legislate from the bench…”

Show it with “Passing the blame…for everything”, shake it away.

Show it with “Barak Hussen Obama, President”, shake it away.

Show it with “Mitt Romney, President” written with marker on it…

“I’m Mitt Romney, and I approve this message”

After opposing the Keystone Pipeline, Obama is now “for” the pipeline, and taking credit for the new route which was going to happen without any input from him.

The real flip-flopper in this race is Obama.

Obama can’t do anything about gas prices, until his poll numbers tank, then he supports the pipeline.

Pure pandering.  Pure politics.

Mitt, as I listened to Mr. Santorum’s and Mr. Gingrich’s speeches last night, they spent a little time trying to define who you are.  Of course, they got it wrong.  Your are not the “Massachusetts Moderate” or supported a federal mandate for individual’s to purchase health insurance.  You are not the “flip-flopper” they claim you are.  But these are the terms and words your opponents use to define yourself.

How to respond?

Say something like this:

The fine gentleman running against me seem to want to define who I am.  Rather than tell you honestly who they are, they want to tell you who they think I am.

I can understand why they get it wrong.  They’re busy campaigning.  I haven’t seen either of them at any of my speeches.  They’ve go things to do.  I can identify with what it’s like to be on the campaign trail.

But that’s not an excuse for getting it wrong.  It’s not an excuse for not having your team make sure that they get their facts straight.  It’s not an excuse for staying silent when supporters and surrogates make false accusations.

The truth of the matter is that that neither of my opponents are the conservatives they claim to be.  Or, maybe they are, they’ve just flip flopped.  Their past statements, their records and their conduct indicate that they are politicians first and foremost.

Both have spent their entire careers in Washington D.C.  The have earned their living in politics, either through holding office or lobbying those who do hold office.

Both candidates claim to be to the “right” of me.  The truth is that they are all over.  To the left, to the right… and it would be hard pressed to know what they actually stand for except their own personal agenda.

They would like to define me as a “Massachusetts Moderate” because it’s easier to do that than to explain themselves - their records,  their statements, their actions.  Senator Santorum called me the “most conservative” in 2008.  I’ve not changed my positions, maybe he’s changed his.

Rather than focus on the economic issues, they focus on fringe social issues.  Rather than focus on the getting the current failed president out of office, they focus on belittling and attacking each other.  Rather than make this a hard fought political battle about the ideas to move us forward, they complain and whine to anyone that will listen that my winning more delegates and votes than either of them is unfair.  That’s fine.  They can continue to do that.  It shows us who they really are.

I’ll continue to press forward making my case why I am the only candidate with the depth and breadth of experience to not just win in November, but return this great country to prosperity.

I only ask that you don’t pay any attention to the two political opportunists who insist on continuing their sideshow.

This discussion has been framed as a First Amendment discussion. And it is.

But it misses the larger, more important point, that the government, especially the federal government, has to constitutional authority to get involved in telling insurance companies what services the must provide.

It doesn’t just violate the 1st Amendment, but all of the basic principles of liberty and our constitution.

Say something like this “The Republican primary process has been hijacked be the Democrats. Since they can’t defend their record, they create a diversion. It’s time for us to ignore these distractions and talk about how to get the country turned around. While what Senator Santorum has said is important, it’s secondary to how we move forward and how our ideas as Republicans will reverse the damage of the last three years”

The ad would go something like this:

Mitt’s Voice with images of the other candidates:  We have a strong slate of candidates.  We all agree that the course charted by the Obama administration is wrong.  We all know that America must turn towards those things that made us great.   We may disagree on some policies, but we are united in our desire to see this great country be more prosperous.

It’s not our goals and aspirations that set us apart from each other.  It’s really not even our policy differences that set us apart that much.  It is, quite simply, our life experience.

Cut to images of Mitt in various leadership capacities:  Mitt’s voice talking about his leadership (and the teamwork it takes).  His ability to put together teams, his executive experience.  Talk about having to had to take 3:00 am phone calls…

This choice is leadership…