SAN DIEGO - Mitt Romney presents himself as the man to fix the U.S. economy but his determination to do so doesn’t quite stretch to signing up as vice president if his chief rival for the Republican nomination, Sen. John McCain, wins the race.

Campaigning in California, the former Massachussets governor stressed his business acumen in comparison to McCain who he said had shown again and again that the economy was “not his strong suit.”

“I think the other day, by the way, he said he would choose a vice president who had a lot of knowledge about the economy because of his own relative weakness in that area,” Romney told a rally in San Diego.

“But I’ve got some bad news. I’m not available for VP.”

The Harvard-educated former business executive co-founded the private equity firm Bain Capital and has repeatedly portrayed himself as more of an economics expert than McCain, a Vietnam veteran Romney described as “an American hero.”

Romney said it was time for a change in Washington where politicians had failed to address economic challenges for decades. 

“Senator McCain is a fine guy but he’s been there 25 years and if he hasn’t been able to get it done in a quarter of a century, why give him a chance at being president?”

PICTURE: Reuters/Danny Moloshok: Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney thanks supporters in Fountain Valley, California 

LOS ANGELES - American television viewers seeking a respite from the torrent of presidential campaign advertising in the run-up to the Super Tuesday primaries will find this coming Sunday’s Super Bowl broadcast blissfully free of political messages.

That’s because as of Tuesday, the Fox network had sold out all its available advertising time for the National Football League championship — the biggest U.S. television event of the year — and not a single spot was purchased by a political campaign.    

The News Corp-owned broadcaster insists, contrary to some previous reports, that it never banned such ads for the Super Bowl. Instead, network officials said no campaign or media buyer ever seriously approached Fox to discuss the possibility of making a national ad buy for the Feb. 3 matchup between the undefeated New England Patriots and the New York Giants, or for the pre-game or post-game telecasts.

The sky-high price of Super Bowl spots may have had something to do with that. The average cost for a 30-second spot this year was running around $2.7 million, with prices earlier this month climbing as high as $3 million, industry sources have told Reuters.    

Speculation about Super Bowl political ads was fueled this year by the rare coincidence of a national telecast expected to draw well over 90 million viewers just two days before voters in two dozen states cast ballots for Democratic and Republican nominees for president. Moreover, the two teams playing in the big game hail from states with primary contests on Feb. 5.   

The Washington Post reported last week that the media teams of at least two Republican candidates had contemplated a possible Super Bowl ad purchase as a way of reaching a mass audience in one fell swoop.

But with some campaign coffers running low on resources, the smart money seems to be on sticking with a strategy that targets TV ad dollars in local markets where candidates have the greatest chance of picking up votes, and delegates.   

Click here for more Reuters 2008 campaign coverage. 

- Photo credit: Reuters/Rick Wilking

(Corrected to reflect 23 Republican seats up in 2008 in 5th paragraph)

If you see congressional Democrats with big smiles on their faces, it’s probably because they have raised significantly more money for the 2008 campaign than their Republican counterparts.
 
Democrats are hoping to pick up a number of seats in both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, and at the moment experts believe they have a pretty decent advantage. 
 
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee raised some $55.4 million in 2007 and ended the year with $29.4 million on hand. In contrast, the National Republican Senatorial Committee raised $31.8 million in 2007 and ended with $12.1 million in the bank. 

“From successful fundraising and recruiting to record turnout in Democratic primaries, there is a wave building across the country, and with nine months to go until Election Day, we could very well deliver lasting change,” said Sen. Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat and head of the DSCC.
 
Republicans must guard 23 Senate seats, of which seven are considered very vulnerable. Democrats only have 12 to protect and one is considered at risk, Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu. 

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee raised $67.5 million and ended 2007 with $35.1 million. The National Republican Congressional Committee raked in $49.5 million last year and had $5.4 million in hand.
 
In the House, where Democrats already have a 31-seat advantage, about two dozen Republicans have decided to retire or seek another office. In contrast, only four Democrats have decided to end their time in the House. 

Click here for more Reuters 2008 campaign coverage. 

- Photo credit: Reuters/Jonathan Ernst (Schumer with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid last year on Capitol Hill.)

LOS ANGELES - Illinois Sen. Barack Obama has made a promise to his kids: if we win the White House, you can have a dog.

The Democratic presidential hopeful told a rally in California on Thursday that his two little girls were excited about the prospect of him becoming president but not so happy about moving to Washington.

“They’re very excited, although my 9-year-old and my 6-year-old, I’m not sure they want to move. They like Chicago,” he said, answering a little boy’s question about his kids. “We promised them that we’ll get (a) dog.”

Presidential pets have long fascinated children in the United States, prompting former first ladies Barbara Bush and Hillary Clinton — Obama’s rival for the 2008 nomination — to write books about their animals.

Click here for more Reuters 2008 campaign coverage. 

- Photo credit: Reuters/Keith Bedford. (Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama laughs with his daughter Sasha before speaking at a campaign stop in Des Moines, Iowa)

NEW YORK - Presidential candidates may be dropping out, but campaign products are beginning to spring up.

St. Supery Vineyards of California’s Napa Valley has launched a presidential campaign for its meritage blend, Elu.
 
“It’s a red wine that even Democrats will love,” according to Michaela Rodeno, the winery’s chief executive. The color red is associated with Republicans while blue is considered the Democrats’ color.
 
“It’s running as an independent,” she said, her tongue firmly in cheek, during a New York visit. “And it addresses issues that Americans care about. It’s balanced. It’s powerful but approachable. And it is environmentally friendly.”
 
Elu, French for elected, has its own Web site where it says it will decline donations from PACs, but does boast that it is has received wide support from sommeliers and recognition from restaurateurs. 

Click here for more Reuters 2008 campaign coverage. 

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. - Much of the attention in the race for the Republican presidential nomination has narrowed to Arizona Sen. John McCain and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, apparently irking rivals former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Texas Rep. Ron Paul.

As McCain and Romney stressed their conservative credentials at a debate Wednesday night at the Ronald Reagan presidential library, Huckabee tried to get a word in — and Paul interjected, too, both with little success.

“There are a number of pieces of legislation where his views are out of the mainstream, at least in my view, of conservative Republican thought,” Romney said, chastizing McCain for his initial support for giving amnesty to illegal immigrants and opposing drilling for oil in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge.

McCain shot back that Romney raised taxes as governor and the state saw large manufacturing jobs disappear.  “I’m proud of my conservative record.  It’s one of reaching across the aisle to get things done for Americans,” McCain said.

When Huckabee was asked a different question, he tried to steer the conversation back to highlight his conservative credentials.

“You want to talk conservative credentials?  Let me get in on that,” Huckabee said, and then described his opposition to abortion and gay rights. After McCain and Romney clashed bitterly over the Iraq war, Huckabee said: “I didn’t come here to umpire a ballgame between these two.”

“Governor Huckabee, we’re going to shower you with questions now,” moderator Janet Hook of the Los Angeles Times said.

It didn’t make much difference, and he was soon complaining he had not been showered with questions. “I’m going to make sure I get a little time here.”

Paul, who has not won any of the early primary contests but still has raised millions of dollars from supporters, was not able to detail his credentials. “I would like to take one minute, since I didn’t get a chance to answer this discussion on conservative versus liberal,” he said.

Moderator Anderson Cooper promised him he would have an opportunity later. But it never came. 

Click here for more Reuters 2008 campaign coverage. 

- Additional reporting by Claudia Parsons 

- Photo credit: Reuters/Danny Moloshok

NORTH LITTLE ROCK,  Ark. - The King is voting for Sen. Hillary Clinton. Well at least one anyway.

Elvis Presley impersonator Dwayne Turner, who calls himself “Belvis the Black Elvis,” greeted Clinton at  a campaign stop to declare his support, and sing for her too.

“Whoa, that’s some suit,” Clinton said when he arrived, clad in a white bell-bottom jumpsuit with matching cape.

Turner offered Clinton a personalized rendition of Presley’s hit “Blue Suede Shoes.”

“Well, it’s one for the money, two for the show, three to get ready, now go Hillary go,” he sang.

Turner said as a voter, he would be true to Clinton, who was first lady of Arkansas when her husband Bill Clinton served as governor.

“This is Clinton country,” he said . “When we realize what they did for us in this state, we got to support them. This is home. People need to understand where their loyalty is. You can’t jump ship,” he said. 

Click here for more Reuters 2008 campaign coverage. 

- Photo credit: Reuters/Brian Snyder

Now that former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has some free time on his hands after he ends his presidential bid on Wednesday, he might want to consider buying back his old 1966 Chevrolet Corvair convertible which has hit the eBay auction block.

In the event he is not tired of road trips after a grueling campaign — which ended after a disappointing third place in Florida where he staked his whole campaign — the aqua colored car is going for $25,000 right now on eBay.

The seller, Cooper Classics of Greenwich Village, New York, said it bought the vehicle from Giuliani in 1996 and has had it in storage since then.

Here’s part of the description:

It was placed into storage until we rediscovered and removed it last week. We removed the car and had these photos taken, without detailing the car, right after the car was taken outside. We sent the car to our mechanic to have all of the fluids drained and to have the car started. The paint appears to be original and in good condition as well as the interior and convertible top.

Bids are due by Friday at around 5:30 p.m. Eastern time. 

Click here for more Reuters 2008 campaign coverage. 

- Photo credit: Cooper Classics

Add one more name to the casualty list of Republican lawmakers in the House of Representatives planning to retire or pursue another office: Rep. Tom Davis. 
 
Davis will retire from service in the House after seven two-year terms, adding his name to the list of about two dozen other House Republicans who have decided to hang it up after this year.
 
While Davis had already decided against running for the open Virginia Senate seat being vacated by Republican John Warner, he did make it clear that his political life was not over.

“I want to emphasize that I am not closing the door on future public service,” he said in a statement.
 
Davis represents a district just outside Washington, D.C. in northern Virginia, an area that has been growing more Democratic in recent years. In recent years the state has seen a shift to a Democratic governor and Democrats captured one of the U.S. Senate seats in 2006.
 
“This is yet another blow to National Republicans and makes the Eleventh-District a top pick-up opportunity for Democrats,” said Doug Thornell, a spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
 
Democrats already eyeing Davis’ seat include Gerry Connolly, chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, and Leslie Byrne, who previously held the seat, among others. 

But they will face a well-funded Republican opponent: Keith Fimian,  a businessman who already has $650,000 in hand for his race (half of which came in the form of a personal loan.)

Click here for more Reuters 2008 campaign coverage. 

- Photo credit: Reuters/Jason Reed

Ralph Nader, the consumer advocate who has been accused by Democrats of helping hand the White House to George W. Bush in 2000, has formed a committee to explore another presidential bid.

Sure to stir up a hornet’s nest, Nader launched an Internet site to recruit campaign workers, paid and unpaid, as well as to raise money for a possible White House run.

Donors who give $300 will receive three books and two DVDs, including Michael Moore’s Sicko movie about the state of health care in the United States.

He has run several times before, including in 2004 as an independent and in 2000 as the Green Party candidate. That year he was blamed by many for siphoning off votes from Al Gore and ultimately resulting in Bush securing the White House. 

Click here for more Reuters 2008 campaign coverage. 

- Photo credit: Reuters/Keith Bedford