I’ll admit it. In the aftermath of McCain’s Cheap Shot Florida victory I have lost a little of the enthusiasm with which I have approached this primary election season. While I respect McCain’s service to his country as a Navy pilot, congressman, and Senator, I don’t believe he’s the best man to sit in the Oval Office.

The debate last night proved that to me even more. I am not alone in this assessment. McCain did not admit he fabricated his “Romney wants to withdraw from Iraq” accusation out of whole cloth. In fact, he doubled down several times and ended up looking more and more like the grumpy old man who sits on his porch and screams at the neighbor kids “Get Off My Lawn!!”

The endorsements by Rudy and Aaahhhnooolld mean Mitt faces some serious headwinds in his run for the Oval. This is nothing new. Anybody who has followed this campaign for more than a few months understands that Mitt has been swimming in deep waters for a very long time.

Then I got an email – not a personal one, mind you, I’m not that big of a move or shaker – from Article VI’s John Schroeder. He reminded me that off the candidates on that stage at the Reagan Library last night, Mitt is the one who’s stance most resembles the Gipper. Students of history will remember that Reagan made a habit of swimming against the current and going against the conventional wisdom to accomplish what he knew was right – not necessarily what was popular. Reagan was, among other things, an eternal optimist who exuded confidence to the point that it literally rubbed off on those around him.

I have visited the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley. It is quite the experience and one I would highly recommend. In that library there is an exact replica of Reagan’s Oval Office which includes his desk as it would have looked during his presidency. On his desk is found a red leather plaque with the following gold-lettered inscription:

It CAN Be Done

See for yourself:

There isn’t much I can do to make that picture sharper, but I bought a replica of that plaque which now sits in my office – well, my cubicle.

As you can see, my desk stuff is a bit different from that of the Gipper.

Reagan accomplished many things which most of the pontificating pundits of his day thought impossible and have since tried to attribute to other influences. The bottom line is, he made up his mind about what he wanted to do, and then he went and did it. He didn’t much care about the prognostications of the pontificating pundits or the whining of the liberal dominated Congress he had to deal with.

I see this same attitude of optimism and confidence in Mitt Romney. He’s gearing up for Super Tuesday and preparing to do battle for the heart and soul of the Republican Party. He’s not ready to throw in the towel and has decided to both Go Big and Go Long rather than going home.

I’m not ready to throw it in either.

It CAN Be Done!