Snapshots from Michigan

Like father, like son

At the Oakland County GOP Anniversary Gala in West Bloomfield, Mich., Monday night, Romney showed off additions to his collection of campaign memorabilia from his father George's unsuccessful run for the White House in 1968.

The items, donated by a GOP supporter, including 250 buttons in "Romney blue" and a comb stamped with the message, "Set our country straight, Romney in '68."

The Romney running in '08 joked that hair is always part of a Romney campaign.

Rust rehab

During a major campaign speech delivered to the Detroit Economic Club on Monday, Mitt Romney pledged restoring Detroit's title as "Motor City to everyone in the world."

"What Michigan is feeling will be felt by the entire nation unless we win the economic battle here," he said. "Michigan is a bit like the canary in the mine shaft.

"Washington politicians look at Michigan and see a rust belt. But the real rust is in Washington," Romney told the more than 500 business and community leaders gathered at the Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center on the day before the state's primary election.

Next candidate?

Parker Mitt Romney, candidate Mitt Romney's namesake and grandson, once again practiced his own campaigning skills Sunday night. The toddler jumped up into Romney's arms during a speech at a senior center in Taylor, near Detroit, and held up his hand to his forehead. His proud grandfather explained to the crowd that the boy was making a sign symbolizing an elephant — coincidentally, the symbol of the GOP. For emphasis, Parker Mitt blew into Mitt's microphone and then rattled off something unintelligible that charmed the hundreds of Republicans there nonetheless.

Dream campaign

In Grand Blanc, about 15 miles south of Flint, some 3,000 students and others filled the bleachers in the high school's auditorium to hear Romney on Monday morning. He started his speech with an oft-told tale from the campaign trail about an exchange with his wife, Ann.

"Honey," he said, "in your wildest dreams did you ever see me running for president?"

And she said, "Mitt, you weren't in my wildest dreams."

That drew giggles from the young audience.

Not 'do or die'

No matter what, Romney said, he's staying in the race — at least through Feb. 5.

"We're going all the way through Feb. 5. No ifs, ands or buts about it," he told CBS' "Face the Nation" Sunday. "This is a race that is not going to be decided by a few states. It's a race that I'm taking to the nation."

Romney also told CNN's Wolf Blitzer Sunday that Michigan was "not do or die" for his campaign. After Michigan's primary Tuesday, the Politico Web site suggested Romney will turn his focus to Nevada, not South Carolina, looking for a surer win.

Republicans in both states vote on Saturday, and Romney staffers confirmed he'll visit Nevada in addition to planned stops in South Carolina.