Forbes: Romney Has a 'Lot of Explaining to Do' on Flip-flopping

Two-time GOP presidential candidate Steve Forbes said former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has “a lot of explaining to do” about his stance on conservative issues and said, “He’s likely to be the nominee, but at the rate he’s going, he’s going to limp over the finish line.”

Speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Forbes said Romney should learn from his mistakes on flip-flopping along legislative lines and be honest about his track record.

“I hope he’s learned lessons from his mishaps in the last few weeks,” Forbes said, adding Romney must re-think his programs on health care and tax reform. “If he does that, he has a shot on it. But he’s raised a lot of questions in people’s minds about where his priorities are, and he’s going to have a lot of explaining to do if he’s not careful about issues like contraception, which is sort of a sideshow. He’s got to be careful not the let the Democrats set the agenda. He’s got to learn to set the agenda the way Ronald Reagan did in 1980.”

Forbes, speculating on whether former House Speaker Newt Gingrich should drop out of the race, said candidate’s fate probably will be sealed Tuesday.

“There does come a point where you lose credibility,” he said. “For Newt Gingrich, for example, next week…if he doesn’t do well or carry both of those (states), he’s just not going to have the credibility. He can carry on, but he’s not going to be taken seriously as a possible winner.”

He predicted the primary-election battle will reach a bitter end in June, with a brawl the entire way.

“Santorum, I think, is going to have a good week on Tuesday,” he said. “I don’t think it’s going to be a knockout blow anytime soon. I see this going right into June.

“It’s very important for Republicans, whoever emerges as the nominee, to have a very Reaganist program on tax reform, stabilizing the dollar, reforming health care and the like, so that people know this is just not an election about hoping the economy is good or bad, but that will really get this country back on track and not have these fragile recoveries, which is still the case today.”