There's a growing sense that the GOP nomination is Mitt Romney's to lose now.
But there are a couple of problems with this.
First of all, he's not leading in the polls. Herman Cain is.
For various reasons, people don't think Herman Cain can actually hold on (he lacks organization, his policies won't stand up to scrutiny, he's a bit too odd, etc.), so people still think Romney is the leader.
But one line in the latest WSJ poll is ominous:
Mr. Romney held firm in second place at 23%, his same share as in a Journal poll in late August.
So Perry is fading, and Cain is gaining, and even Newt (!) has been gaining in polls. Everyone is gaining expect Mitt Romney and there's a huge swath of voters who are undecided. It may all still work out just fine, but this ceiling on support for Mitt Romney can't feel good, especially since there are so many candidates who will drop out fairly soon.