Dan Quayle endorses Mitt Romney, while Time is given for a Parade of Romney stories

Former U.S. Vice President Dan Quayle endorsed Mitt Romney this morning in an op-ed published by the Arizona Republic.

Quayle said Romney is the only Republican who meets his four criteria for determining who he will support in a presidential race — leadership, character, conservative philosophy, and electability.

"He has proven over and over again that he is a leader," Quayle wrote. "He has demonstrated he is capable of making tough decisions and turning things around. He is a man of integrity. He understands budgets and financial markets. He balanced budgets and met a bottom line. He is strong on national defense and has a deep love of the principles that make America great."

"Because of President Obama's failed leadership, Washington has become dysfunctional," Quayle said. "We need a leader from outside of the Washington establishment. We need a president with a proven track record of innovative thinking and a proven ability to make tough decisions and implement them.

While you were out Christmas shopping, watching football or cleaning up after hurricane-force winds and whatnot over the past few days, journalists all around the nation were continuing their coverage of all things Mitt.

For example, Parade magazine offered "A Mitt Romney You Haven't Seen Yet" through interviews with the presidential candidate and his wife, Ann. Presented in question-answer format, the interviews do provide some interesting insights, including:

Mitt's father, George, an automotive executive, governor of Michigan and presidential candidate, "made sure my brother and I mowed the lawn, shoveled the driveway … he decided we would learn to work with our hands."

Mitt on the value of his LDS Church mission: "I learned a great deal about my faith and the teachings of my church. At the same time, one learns a great deal about one's self. I read the Bible. I read it with much more interest and attention, and that made me, I think, more fundamentally appreciative of the truths and wisdom that had been provided by our Creator."