THE ASTERISK IS MISSING – AT 10:19 P.M. ET:  The first New Hampshire presidential poll, for the 2012 election, is out, but there's something missing in the reporting:

Former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney holds a commanding lead in New Hampshire in the early stages of the race for the 2012 Republican Presidential nomination, according to a new survey commissioned by NH Journal and conducted by Magellan Strategies. The survey is the first statewide survey of Granite State Republicans and Republican-leaning independents in 2011.

Romney leads former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin by 23 points, with Romney earning 39% and Palin earning 16%. Mike Huckabee (10%), Newt Gingrich (8%), Texas Congressman Ron Paul (7%), former MN Gov. Tim Pawlenty (4%), Rick Santorum (3%) and MS Gov. Haley Barbour (1%) all trail significantly behind. Romney finished second to Sen. john McCain in the 2008 New Hampshire Republican Presidential primary.

COMMENT:  What's missing is that Romney, as governor of neighboring Massachusetts, was governor of a state whose TV and radio stations beam into New Hampshire.  Thus, he is, by far, the best-known of the current crop of candidates, and that often translates into tentative support.

Romney is the traditional "next man in line" in the Republican Party, which rarely demonstrates imagination in the choice of national candidates.  I have real doubts that he could defeat Obama.  These first results should be taken with a dose of Michelle Obama-approved seasoning.

January 6, 2011