Brownback: Not so fast, Romney

Amid all the hand-wringing among Republican presidential candidates over whether to compete in the Ames, Iowa straw poll on Aug. 11, Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas said today that he was in, and in to win. Brownback also challenged Mitt Romney's contention earlier this week that he had effectively won the straw poll two months early.

"I am excited and honored by the opportunity to participate in the Ames Straw Poll and I reaffirm my intention to compete in Ames," Brownback said in a statement. "I look forward to going head-to-head against Mitt Romney. Iowa voters have a great responsibility and have always been influential in choosing the Republican nominee. People deserve to know where a candidate stands, and you don't declare yourself the winner before the game is played."

Brownback, seeking to boost his own social conservative credentials by criticizing Romney's shifts rightward on social issues, also challenged Romney and his other competitors to a series of Iowa debates.