Mitt Romney's Expensive Self-Immolation
Clinton and McCain Rebound to Take N.H. Romney 2nd in GOP Contest; Iowa Winner Huckabee Is 3rd
By Michael D. Shear and Juliet Eilperin Washington Post Staff Writers Wednesday, January 9, 2008; A01
MANCHESTER, N.H., Jan. 8 -- Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the early Republican front-runner whose campaign imploded last summer, handily won the New Hampshire primary Tuesday, dealing former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney his second loss in the GOP nomination contest.
. . . For Romney, who has invested more than $20 million of his own money in his campaign, the second-place finish is devastating. His methodical campaign was built on the idea that victories in Iowa and New Hampshire would propel him to the nomination. But accusations that he is a flip-flopper dragged him down as he waged a multi-front campaign against both McCain and Huckabee.
Romney, who had led polls for months in New Hampshire, vowed Tuesday to continue his campaign, asserting that his twin second-place showings to two diff…