What Mitt's Got That Bush Lacks: Intelligence

The Nation -- A blueprint for Mitt Romney's presidential campaign pays close attention to the question of how the former Massachusetts could distinguish himself from an increasingly unpopular President Bush. The Republican strategists who prepared the plan suggest that the best way to differentiate their man from Bush is to focus on the fact that Romney is, uh, smart.

"Like every Republican in the race, Romney faces the delicate task of how to talk about President Bush, whom the country gives low job-approval ratings," reports the Boston Globe, which obtained the blueprint. "But the plan lists two ways Romney can set himself apart from Bush. The first says, simply, 'Intelligence.'"

The document also outlines schemes for "positively branding" Romney while "negatively framing rivals John McCain (news, bio, voting record) and Rudy Giuliani," according to the Globe, which obtained the plan that had been prepared in secret by the Romney campaign's media adviser, Alex Castellanos, and others.

The blueprint also suggests that Romney run against "bogeymen" such as "France" -- there's even a proposal for a "First, Not France" bumper sticker -- and "Massachusetts."