In fairness to Team Romney, they did more right than not. They rose from single digits in the national polls to receiving 32% of the primary votes cast to date. They became the conservative establishment's choice. They leveraged mechanical and resource superiority into solid leads in Iowa and New Hampshire, giving Rudy Giuliani pause about competing in the early states and chasing John McCain from Iowa. They leveraged their candidate's mastery of pat, 60-second answers into dominance (and rising poll numbers) out of the first debates. They met their goal of winning Ames, and got a bump. They met their goal of 30,000 votes in the Iowa Caucus.

Nearly all of the benchmarks set by Romney, Inc. were met — and often with flying colors. They checked every box they needed to become the nominee.

Tornadoes tear across South, killing at least 26

ATKINS, Ark. - Authorities went door-to-door trying to find additional victims of tornadoes that killed at least 26 people, ripped the roof off a shopping mall and blew apart warehouses as they tore across four states. The dead included 12 people in Tennessee, 11 in Arkansas, and a mother and father who died in Kentucky with their adult daughter. Those killed in Arkansas included another set of parents, who died with their 11-year-old in Atkins, about 60 miles northwest of Little Rock. The family died from trauma when the storm their home "took a direct hit" from the storm, Pope County Coroner Leonard Krout said. .

Cockeysville teen indicted on murder, gun charges

Within a week or so is our decision point if the medical people are going to take him off special-watch status," O'Neill said. Then, jail staff will decide whether to place Browning in protective custody or in the detention center's units for inmates under the age of 23. Inmates in protective custody have cellmates but are let out of their cells only one hour a day.

Browning, a Dulaney High School sophomore, is accused of fatally shooting his parents, John W. Browning and Tamara Browning, as well as his younger brothers, 14-year-old Gregory and 11-year-old Benjamin. All four were sleeping in their Cockeysville home when they were killed Feb. 2.

Nicholas Browning told police that he was playing video games at a friend's house late Feb. 1 -- a Friday -- and into the next morning when he decided to walk the nearly three miles back to his parent's large Colonial-style home, a source familiar with the investigation has said.

Deal signed for Perkins plant

After four months of deliberation, Delphi Corp. has chosen a potential buyer.

Delphi Corp. filed a motion at 11:59 p.m. Tuesday with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York to request a bidding procedures hearing on Jan. 25. The bidding procedures hearing will allow other businesses interested in acquiring the plant a chance to outbid Resilience Capital Partners. If no other company bids on the property, a final sale hearing will be set sometime in the first quarter.