Romney's top political adviser: Romney

When George W. Bush ran for president in 2000, there was never any question about who his political maestro was: Karl Rove, the man later dubbed Bushs brain.

Mitt Romney, well into his second, more successful presidential run, still has no Rove-like figure an all-seeing adviser engineering the entire, increasingly sprawling, political apparatus. But aides and insiders say there is someone very much in charge and that would be, for better or worse, Mitt Romney.

Romneyworld consists of a set of interlocking circles, created during his time in business and in government, tied together by a campaign manager with a clear mandate over the operation but with the candidate himself at the center. According to the basic presidential political playbook, thats risky; staffers always say their boss is in charge but also always worry about a candidate whos too immersed in the nitty-gritty details. Nomination narratives are full of cautionary tales about candidates who couldnt see the proverbial strategic forest because they obsessed over every decision, creating a leadership vacuum.

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But the CEO-structure of Romneys campaign reflects a central belief set by campaign manager Matt Rhoades and adhered to by others that staff should not be the focus of attention and it reflects the management style that has made Romney successful in the past.

(Romney) likes a pretty horizontal organization where theres a number of different inputs into him, said former Missouri Sen. Jim Talent, a Romney ally and surrogate. He fields information so quickly and he has such a strong frame of reference that he knows what questions he wants to ask.

You have a group of people there that are mature, collaborative, [theres] very little personality conflict and turf-fighting and the like. said former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who has become a key Romney surrogate. He credited Romney, saying the way the campaign functions reflects the personal approach of the former Massachusetts governor.

I think its remarkable because the campaign is really high-functioning, and part of the reason its so high-functioning is because Mitt has assembled a group of seasoned [operatives], he added, saying they have experience coming to a team conclusion and executing it as a team.

Gov. Romney has put together a very strong campaign organization that shows he is ready to take on the Chicago-style politics of the Obama campaign, said Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal.

One advantage Romney has enjoyed is continuity. The core of his 2008 staff remains largely the same. And the various groups now linked together under Romney 2012 Inc. have, at different points in Romneys life, worked together, eliminating some of the tensions that crop up with new additions when primary candidates become their partys nominee.

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Romney's top political adviser: Romney