RICK STRIKES BACK

Santorum wins Alabama and Mississippi

• "A beaming Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum declared he "did it again" and "defied the odds" Tuesday night as he took the stage fresh off his wins in the critical Southern states of Alabama and Mississippi." - CNN
• "An aggressive push by Mr. Romney to try and capitalize on the divided conservative electorate failed to take hold, and he finished third in both states." - New York Times

Time up for Gingrich as Santorum cements his place as the conservative alternative to Romney

"Newt Gingrich may not drop out of the race just yet, but his campaign for president is effectively finished. On Tuesday, Rick Santorum won both Mississippi’s and Alabama’s primaries. Gingrich came in second, but that’s not good enough. Last week Gingrich’s spokesman R.C. Hammond said they had to win both Mississippi and Alabama, and everywhere else in the Deep South to remain a credible candidate." - The Nation

• "With apologies to Gingrich and his supporters, and despite the fact that he says he’ll fight on, Santorum has the claim on the title of conservative alternative to Mitt Romney now." - Politico
• "Newt Gingrich surprised us all by taking a shoestring campaign all the way into March of 2012. He won South Carolina, and his home state of Georgia. He should be proud of the campaign he has run. But if he wants to remain proud of his efforts, it’s important to go out in a classy manner." - Matt Lewis

William Kristol: Alabama and Mississippi showed "massive resistance" to Team Romney

"For weeks, Team Romney and many of its allies have been eager—one might even say desperate—to end this campaign. The Republican primary electorate has been resisting this, and the voters in Alabama and Mississippi engaged in massive resistance yesterday, giving Romney less than a third of their votes." - William Kristol

But... Romney still takes most delegates Tuesday

"Mitt Romney finished third in both states, but he salvaged a win in the Hawaii caucuses and won the support of all nine delegates at GOP caucuses in American Samoa. ... Santorum's two victories Tuesday were worth at least 29 delegates. Gingrich won at least 24 and Romney at least 31, including the nine from American Samoa. The delegate split underscored the difficulty that Romney's rivals face in overcoming his big lead." - AP

• Even as Romney wins more delegates, he appears weaker with every contest - Slate

Romney needs a better message for his supporters than simply pointing at delegate math

• "By all indications, Romney’s campaign is sticking to its delegate math approach — focusing on the slog as opposed to the reality that the candidate, and his team, badly blew expectations by predicting a win in at least one or both Southern states." - Politico
• "The rhetoric of strength and leadership that could give them momentum heading into the general has been replaced with a list of math-centered talking points that deal with delegate counts, percentages, and margins of victory." - BuzzFeed

Looking ahead: Illinois is the new Michigan

"Romney is slightly ahead in the most recent poll there, but it’s another race where he — and the super PAC supporting him — are going to have to spend heavily to maintain their edge... , that shelling-out of cash has begun in earnest, with heavy paid media buys throughout the state." - Politico

• Romney goes on the air in Illinois; Santorum in Louisiana - CNN

Romney pulls out of scheduled Oregon debate

"Mitt Romney won't participate in the nationally televised debate planned for Portland next week, his campaign said Monday.  The announcement, which did not come as a surprise, could well lead to the cancellation of what has been the last scheduled debate of the Republican presidential primary campaign." - The Oregonian

Enough about 2012 - 2016 will matter much more - Ruth Marcus

McConnell offers support for Obama Afghan drawdown

"McConnell emphasized he was speaking only for himself, and his remarks highlighted a divide in his party, with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) slamming the administration’s plans to withdraw the 23,000 remaining “surge” troops from Afghanistan by year’s end. While acknowledging that it’s been a “very challenging period” in Afghanistan, McConnell urged the White House to stay the course. “We ought to stick with the plan that’s been laid out by the administration,” he said." - The Hill

• Senior Republicans divided on Afghan war  - Roll Call

Alabama Rep. Spencer Bachus survives primary challenge

"Bachus, the powerful House chairman who is under investigation over allegations that he engaged in insider trading, survived a stiff Republican primary challenge that presented the incumbent with the most serious threat of his 20-year Capitol Hill career." - Politico

Pro-Obama super PAC collects $2 million - USA Today

Obama takes British PM Cameron to basketball game in battleground state Ohio

"After arriving at Dayton Arena, the president, decked out in a gingham-check button-down and dark slacks, and Cameron, in a navy polo shirt, sat behind a basket and munched on hot dogs with staff and fellow politicians, including Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R)" - Washington Post

• ""I thought it was going to be wonderful for the prime minister to have a chance not only to see a basketball game for the first time, but also to come to the great state of Ohio," Obama said" - LA Times
• What David Cameron can teach the GOP - Alex Massie

Chu backpedals on call for higher gas prices - Fox

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