In the race for the Republican nomination, the Not-Romney’s have all had similar stories. A poll comes out showing that they are inexplicably neck-and-neck with Romney after being virtually unheard of to that point. Suddenly the media focuses on the new frontrunner, with people asking how this happened. Then the new-frontrunner starts flaming out, and a new poll gets released with another person who’s been under the RADAR suddenly in first or second.

Wouldn’t this be a great idea: The Romney camp gets their hand on, and jiggers, some poll data to show someone jump out from nowhere. Suddenly all the media attention makes that person actually jump up in the polls, and then they flame out. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

I don’t think this is the case (see Hanlon’s Razor), but it’d be a heck of a strategy.