Romney Speech at Young America’s Foundation at the Reagan Ranch Center

What has he been doing that is more important than protecting the lives of the troops of which he is Commander-in-Chief? He has been campaigning – rallying at phony town meetings and making over 30 campaign stops for fellow Democrats.

CNN| Romney accuses Obama of not protecting troops

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney delivered a scathing criticism of President Obama’s Afghanistan strategy Friday night, accusing the president of delivering rhetoric and not action in the war-torn country.

Boston Herald | Associated Press

BOSTON — Mitt Romney’s works shows he’s thinking about another run for president.

The Massachusetts Republican raised $1.6 million for his Free and Strong America PAC during the first six months of the year.

A report released Thursday also showed him seeding more than $63,000 to state and federal candidates — many in key presidential electoral areas.

Also: Reuters | Romney rakes in the dough, gives generously

Gov. Palin is kicking up speculation on her future to a new level by revealing she may have a higher calling — politically speaking. Leaving many to believe that she is talking of leading or representing her conservatism on a national level. So here is looking towards 2012 already, or not. In the meantime, her attorney has sent a word of caution to the national media to layoff the personal attacks and unsupported and unsubstantiated claims of any legal wrong doing while governor of Alaska.

An early dose of some Sunday blogs

The Other McCain | Sara Palin doesn’t seem concerned

The Raw Story | Palin on the attack

Gateway Pundit | It’s On!… Palin’s Legal Counsel Threatens to Sue Liberal Blogs & State-Run Media For Slander

Conservatives 4 Palin | Statement from Gov. Palin’s Legal Counsel on Defamatory Allegations

Talking Point Memo | Sarah Palin’s 4th of July Message

Althouse | “Caribou Barbie is one nutty puppy,” says Maureen Dowd, who wants to be sure you know that Sarah Palin is crazy.

American Power | Sarah Palin Is Here to Stay

GOP 12 | Palin’s 4th of July post: A different standard applies to me

And a quick addition aside from the subject of entry.

Go to Right Klik and take part in some GOP voting. The early rounds are over where many respectable names have already been eliminated. The final results reveal a very likely but hypothetical matchup between Mitt Romney and Sarah Palin for the GOP nomination. So far, Romney is winning with over 50% of the vote.

Update: Today, the LA Times released an article stating that the FBI has ensured that Palin is not the target of any federal investigations as alleged by Huffington Post blogger, Shannyn Moore.

The Wall Street Journal | Gerald F. Seib

Most Republicans have just finished what might be called the spring of their discontent. Not much went right in the first half of the year; not much to cheer about.

But not Mitt Romney. For this unsuccessful 2008 Republican presidential contender, it is hard to imagine how events could be moving more decisively in his favor in 2009. One can almost hear him wondering: Why didn’t things break this way last year?

Let us count the ways that the world has conspired to help Mr. Romney. At a time when the Republican Party is straining to find new leaders, other prominent party members who aspire to that role — Govs. Sarah Palin, Bobby Jindal and Mark Sanford, and Sen. John Ensign — have stumbled or, in the case of Gov. Sanford, flamed out in spectacular fashion. Mitt Romney now looks by comparison like the serious adult in the room.

Boston Globe | Matt Viser

Romney’s official portrait, unveiled with more pomp than the State House has seen in years, shows the one-term governor leaning on a desk, with two items on it: a photo of his wife and a leather binder that has a medical seal representing the state’s landmark healthcare legislation, approved during Romney’s tenure.

Two leading Republicans discuss the Republican Party, Sanford, strategy and leadership.

Politico | Michael Falcone

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s favorability rating has spiked since the 2008 presidential primary, according to a Pew Research Center poll released Wednesday.

The Republican’s favorability rating has climbed to 40 percent — a 10-point increase over the past 16 months. The Pew poll found that 28 percent of Americans view him unfavorably and another 32 percent don’t know.

CNN | Paul Steinhauser

A new national poll of Republicans suggests that there’s no front runner at this extremely early moment in the next race for the White House.

Three possible candidates are all bunched at the top of a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Tuesday.

The survey suggests that 22 percent of Republicans would most likely support former Arkansas governor and former GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee for their party’s presidential nomination in 2012. Twenty-one percent say they would most likely back Alaska governor and 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, with an equal number supporting former Massachusetts governor and former White House hopeful Mitt Romney.

Taking into account the poll’s 4.5 percent sampling error, Huckabee, Palin and Romney seem to be locked in a hypothetical dead heat.

Politics Daily | Carl Cannon

Mitt Romney is running for president of the United States, again. The former Massachusetts governor doesn’t say it quite that way. He merely states that he won’t “close that door,” adding that he isn’t yet ready to walk through it, either. But there’s only one plausible reason why a wealthy and happy family guy — and Romney is both — would undertake all the speeches, interviews, and fundraising for fellow Republicans that Romney is doing. He has unfinished business in politics. To put it bluntly, Mitt Romney does not want to follow in the footsteps of his father, George Romney, another governor-turned-unsuccessful presidential candidate. He wants to be the incarnation of Ronald Reagan.

News Max | AP

It’s been six months since voters handed Barack Obama the White House, and in the minds of a lot of Iowa activists that means only one thing: It’s time to start the campaign again.

“Potential Republican candidates who have visited the state include Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who won the GOP caucuses in 2008. More politicians have trips planned, starting with Nevada Sen. John Ensign on Monday, followed by Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour and another appearance by Huckabee.

Several other high-profile Republicans thought to be considering presidential runs, including Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, haven’t visited Iowa since the election.”