"...Every Candidate's Strategy Has Failed."

Another on-point observation by Michael Barone, in today's Wall Street Journal.

He tells the tale of the GOP nomination this way:

Mitt Romney's strategy of changing positions to win the early contests was foiled by Mike Huckabee in Iowa and by Rudy Giuliani's decision to withdraw from New Hampshire, opening the way for Mr. McCain there. Fred Thompson's decision to delay his announcement to avoid an embarrassing finish in the Iowa straw poll left him past his peak when he did announce, while his campaigning in South Carolina probably siphoned off enough votes from Mr. Huckabee to give Mr. McCain a 33% to 30% victory.

The collapse of Mr. Giuliani's wait-till-Florida strategy opened up the state to Mr. McCain and delivered the Cuban-American bloc, which produced half his popular vote margin in his 36% to 31% victory. And it enabled Mr. McCain to win 198 delegates in Northeastern states, where Mr. Giuliani's backers imposed winner-take-all rules.

Yep, that's about it.