The slow plod that is the GOP abandonment of Mitt (picking up its pace).

Dana Milbank on the opening remarks from House Republicans, yesterday:

"Republican leaders had all kinds of things to talk about in their first day back on Capitol Hill from their month-long recess...But there was one thing House Republican leaders did not mention in their statements to the cameras after Tuesday morning’s caucus: Mitt Romney."

As Milbank further noted, House Republicans were also heaping high praise for a bill that would remove trade restrictions with Russia -- the nation that Mitt Romney on Monday called out as, "a geopolitical adversary."

The Hill's A.B. Stoddard:

"Laura Ingraham and Rush Limbaugh openly contemplated a Romney loss Tuesday, which would put an end — their words — to the GOP."

That's a bit of exaggeration, but what did you expect from Rush and Laura?  They're in the business of hyperbole, after all.

(Conservative media) The Weekly Standard's Peter Hansen:

"The assertion that you are more competent than President Obama strikes many people as merely that—an assertion.  It would be supported by your speaking in more detail about a range of financial issues."

(Conservative media) The National Review's Michael Tanner:

"The Romney campaign seems to continuing in the assumption that you can beat something with nothing...The only thing we know for sure about Romney’s Medicare plan is that it won’t involve actually cutting Medicare."

(Conservative media) The Daily Caller's Matt Lewis:

"The problem with Mitt Romney continues to be Mitt Romney."

Conservative Joe Scarborough on Politico:

"How can it be that this man who turned around countless businesses, saved the 2002 Olympics and ran Democratic Massachusetts like a pro be the head of such a disastrous campaign?"

Oh yeah, they're abandoning him, just not to his face.  They're making plans for 2016.  Why else would you ignore Sarah Palin and George Bush at the Republican Convention, for a string of 2016 hopefuls including Chris Christie, Jeb Bush and Bobby Jindal (who had to cancel due to Hurricane Isaac).

And today, Gallup's 7-day tracking poll showed Obama opening up a 7 point lead, while the conservative Fox News shows Obama up 5.  And of course you know what that means: Wall Street is going to hedge their bets in a big way, moving more money to Obama's campaign and Democratic-leaning super PACs.  We may have already seen the start of this transition, actually -- everyone knows names have been written down on who hasn't given money.

Yep, it's that bad.