Hillarysworld

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Step by step, Romney lining up support for 2012

Strike!

"Now, that felt really good," Romney recalls happily, saying he hadn't picked up a bowling ball in years before the $150-a-head event for his political action committee in Washington's Chinatown. "That doesn't mean I did that the whole evening, but I did get off to a good start."

One pin at a time, the former Massachusetts governor is laying the groundwork for a second presidential bid.

While former Alaska governor Sarah Palin sparks more passion among many Republicans and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee conveys more folksy charm, Romney is waging the most deliberate and methodical campaign of any GOP presidential contender in at least two decades for the nomination in 2012.

After spending the first year of Barack Obama's presidency out of the public eye, Romney will launch a 19-state, three-month tour next week to promote his new book, No Apology: The Case for American Greatness. Included are speeches and appearances in the states that hold early contests in 2012, including Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

The book's subtitle might as well be The Case for Mitt Romney.

At the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Saturday, Romney, 62, finished second in a straw poll to libertarian Texas Rep. Ron Paul but well ahead of more likely 2012 rivals.