All right, the Czar will put this as delicately as he can.

Mitt Romney is not a great choice for a presidential candidate. Not against the marketing muscle of Barack Obama, anyway.

Now for the disclaimers. First, Obama is not on solid ground. In fact, polls continue to show that a large majority of Americans (and a huge amount therein of so-called independents) dislike the direction the country is going. Hint: an independent who votes that he or she strongly believes the country is going in the wrong direction is not an independent, but a GOP voter. Further, Obama’s popularity is undesirably low. Indeed, it is only high among groups of eligible voters who, at their own peril, tend not to vote in large numbers. So Obama is not unstoppable; far from it: he has all the traditional earmarks of a one-term flop.

Second, there are no obvious GOP presidential candidates who are wowing the crowd, right now. Those with great potential lack name recognition. Those with name recognition lack oomph. Right now, your GOP drink choices are Fanta, Diet Yoo-Hoo, and Tab. “I’ll pass,” you might rightfully say.

Third, as the Czar keeps reiterating, things will change in the next six months (maybe more). Real candidates will be emerging, declaring, and undergoing intense scrutiny. Someone we do not quite know may emerge as a real fighter; someone else we dislike may turn our opinions around and dazzle us.

Right now, none of this helps Mitt Romney. Run Romney against Obama, and there is a solid chance of Obama being re-elected. Look at it this way: people on all sides of the aisle knew who John McCain was, what his history was, and where he stood. Unfortunately, even that was not enough to get McCain elected. Now compare him to Mitt Romney: the latter was governor from somewhere, there is some buzz about his healthcare views, and his first name sounds German. Hey, GOP, sorry to rain on your parade, here, but that’s it. That nonsense is all the average American knows about this guy. Meantime, there is complete media reinforcement on Obama. Who is an undecided voter going to pull the lever for?

Now perhaps Romney is a helpful fall guy—someone to distract the liberals and the media and the Sorosians: a ruse, a decoy, a red herring. Meanwhile, we hope, you are grooming someone who is charming, intelligent, courageous, and dedicated; someone who is flying below radar who will deliver the big hit on the public’s heart.

We hope. Because that’s the only thing that makes sense right now.

The Czar of Muscovy

Божію Поспѣшествующею Милостію Мы, Дима Грозный Императоръ и Самодержецъ Всероссiйскiй, цѣсарь Московскiй. The Czar was born in the steppes of Russia in 1267, and was cheated out of total control of all Russia upon the death of Boris Mikhailovich, who replaced Alexander Yaroslav Nevsky in 1263. However, in 1283, our Czar was passed over due to a clerical error and the rule of all Russia went to his second cousin Daniil (Даниил Александрович), whom Czar still resents. As a half-hearted apology, the Czar was awarded control over Muscovy, inconveniently located 5,000 miles away just outside Chicago. He now spends his time seething about this and writing about other stuff that bothers him.