Mitt Romney made his bid for the Republican nomination for president official in Michigan on February 13th.  Saying that "it is time for innovation and transformation in Washington," Romney listed his conservative credentials and formally announced his intention to run for president.  He additionally set out three major planks for his platform:

At this critical time, we must 1) transform our role in the world, 2) strengthen our nation, and 3) build a brighter future for the American family.

National Review magazine's blog, "The Corner" reports that Romney had an anti-Mormon encounter at a rally in Florida.  After being accused of being "a pretender" and "not know[ing] the Lord", Romney's measured response drew a standing ovation from the crowd.  "The Corner"'s Kathryn Jean Lopez seems to suggest that this ability to think on his feet will keep him from becoming "You Tube fodder", as many other politicians have found themselves.

Echoing the sentiments of many, Alan Dershowitz, writing for the liberal Huffington Post, takes Romney to task for choosing to announce his candidacy at the Henry Ford Museum in Michigan.  Henry Ford was a virulent anti-semite, and Dershowitz demands that Romney apologize to the Jewish people and "all Americans who hate the kind of bigotry represented by Henry Ford."

A prominent conservative blog, Redstate, has chosen to give up on Romney's candidacy, citing the numerous issues Romney has changed his position on:

I'm tired of the hedges. I'm tired of the dodges. And I'm tired of the caveated nuance. So let me put this straight and bluntly. I'm more than happy to support my man Mitt if he is the Republican nominee. But, like Hillary Clinton, he is a political opportunist who I increasingly see as someone without principle, only a weather vane.

Multiple Choice Mitt had me at hello. He lost me on the flip.

Mitt and his wife Ann appeared on ABC News with George Stephanopoulos this Sunday, discussing a variety of issues, including their family. Both talked about Ann's struggle with multiple sclerosis and whether their family was supportive of Mitt's candidacy.  

The liberal blog, Tapped, had a lengthy post on statements Romney recently made regarding U.S. policy towards Iran.  It comes to the conclusion that:

Again, this is what a real Iran hawk looks like. Romney believes the President already has the authority to engage in military attacks on Iranians, as long as they are over the border in Iraq, and wants complete diplomatic isolation of the Iranian leader, along with economic sanctions and an indictment of the Iranian leader for crimes against humanity. He openly talks of military intervention against Iran and the necessity of greater U.S. military involvement in the war on terror. And he has a very unrealistic vision of what America's Arab allies are capable of or likely to do to aid the U.S.