海角大神

Mitt Romney himself is adamant: 鈥淥h, no, no, no. No, no, no, no, no. No, no, no,鈥澛� last month.

Romney insiders, the people who are still in regular touch with the GOP鈥檚 2012 presidential nominee, are also dead certain he would not even consider running again. And if you鈥檝e seen the documentary 鈥淢itt,鈥� chronicling Mr. Romney鈥檚 two presidential campaigns, you can see it in the faces of his sons, his wife, and Romney himself. They鈥檝e had enough. More than enough.

And yet the mentions continue. The Times鈥檚 Maureen Dowd throws out Romney 鈥�16 in a recent column, almost like a dog throwing itself a bone. Liberal columnists had so much fun during the past two presidential cycles with Romney 鈥� the Mormon plutocrat with the big, attractive family 鈥� that they鈥檙e almost trying to will another campaign into existence.

Pollsters have also gotten into the act. The Virginia-based firm Purple Strategies tossed a live one into the 2016 discussion last month when it included Romney in a poll of New Hampshire Republican voters looking ahead to their 2016 primary. Romney, who governed neighboring Massachusetts and lives part time in New Hampshire, came out on top with 25 percent.

Romney himself has added to the buzz by appearing on Sunday-morning talk shows and late-night TV. Two weeks ago,

Earlier in January, after MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry presided over some unfortunate jokes about Romney鈥檚 newly adopted black grandson, and accepted her apology. He also opined on weightier issues 鈥� Obamacare and security at the Sochi Winter Olympics, both good topics for someone with oodles of executive experience, as a businessman, governor, and 2002 Olympics CEO.

By appearing on TV, Romney is making clear that he wants to be part of the conversation on issues of the day. And it鈥檚 not hard to see a hint of schadenfreude in his face as he dissects President Obama鈥檚 problems. If that leads to speculation that he might be up for a third run at the presidency, then so be it. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie鈥檚 spectacular decline in public estimation, after the Bridge-gate scandal blew open, has left a void at the top of the potential Republican field, and the press and pollsters are more than happy to fill it with a handy, familiar face.

Purple Strategies acknowledges that Romney is probably just a placeholder for 鈥淭o Be Determined鈥� in the mighty scrum for position in the Republicans鈥� 2016 primary race.

鈥淗e serves as a convenient 鈥榩arking lot鈥� for Republican voters who are waiting for other candidates to develop,鈥� the bipartisan political strategy firm says in its report on the January poll.

Other top GOP finishers in the Purple N.H. poll, taken Jan. 21-23, were Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul (18 percent), Governor Christie (17), and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (13).

While to normal people, it鈥檚 too early to be talking 2016, in the world of presidential politics it isn鈥檛. The Invisible Primary is well under way. Teams are forming, fundraising prospects are being assessed, guts are being checked. It鈥檚 also worth noting that Alex Castellanos, a co-founder of Purple Strategies, worked for Romney鈥檚 first presidential campaign and was vocally unhappy with how the second was run. Maybe Mr. Castellanos thinks the third time鈥檚 a charm.

But if anything could nudge Romney off of 鈥渘o, no, no, no, no,鈥� it might be the documentary itself. More than any ad or public appearance Romney made during his two campaigns, 鈥淢itt鈥� humanizes the man. It shows him in prayer with his family, romping in the snow with grandchildren, ironing his sleeve as he is wearing it.

鈥淟ook at the documentary: It shows, 鈥業鈥檓 a human being. I cry,鈥欌�� says Tom Whalen, a political historian at Boston University. 聽

The film also reveals a fatalistic side. At a fundraiser in Los Angeles early in the 2008 campaign, Romney tells donors that nominees who lose 鈥渂ecome a loser for life, all right?鈥� Romney makes an 鈥淟鈥� sign with his fingers on his forehead.

"Mike Dukakis, you know, he can't get a job mowing lawns," Romney said to laughter, referring to another Massachusetts governor who won his party鈥檚 nomination but not the presidency. "We just brutalize whoever loses."

In 2008, Romney was already painfully aware of his image as a flip-flopper and felt helpless to address it, calling himself 鈥渢he flipping Mormon.鈥�

"There's literally nothing I can do. Do we put on my website what my positions are? Do we answer the flipping charges?" he asked. "It's so damaging to me.... And maybe I've got to live with that. 'Oh you're flippin' everything.' In which case I think I'm a flawed candidate."

Indeed, Romney鈥檚 flaws as a candidate have been well rehearsed. In , perhaps the most devastating moment of Romney鈥檚 political career is barely explored: the secretly taped video of him telling donors that 47 percent of Americans are dependent on the government and see themselves as 鈥渧ictims.鈥�

Were Romney to run again, he would need to overcome his image as an out-of-touch plutocrat. But even if his family has had it with presidential campaigns, as the film makes clear, it鈥檚 not entirely clear that Romney himself has finished dreaming 鈥� especially with Christie鈥檚 national prospects tanking. 聽

鈥淩omney鈥檚 playing a pretty active role for someone who鈥檚 turned his back on politics, so I鈥檓 beginning to wonder if something鈥檚 there,鈥� Mr. Whalen says. 鈥淐ertainly the opportunity is there; he has the fundraising network.鈥�

And it鈥檚 not as if the past year has been good for the man who beat Romney in 2012. To many Americans, says Whalen, Romney looks a lot better now, in retrospect.