Politico's Simon now on to a different part of Romney's anatomy: "shoulders you could land a 737 on"

In his June 6 column, Politico chief political columnist Roger Simon declared former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney the winner of the June 5 Republican presidential debate and attributed Romney's victory, in part, to the fact that he is "[s]trong, clear, gives good soundbite, and has shoulders you could land a 737 on."

As Media Matters for America noted, Simon has previously described Romney as having "chiseled-out-of-granite features, a full, dark head of hair going a distinguished gray at the temples, and a barrel chest," adding: "On the morning that he announced for president, I bumped into him in the lounge of the Marriott and up close he is almost overpowering. He radiates vigor."

From Simon's June 6 column:

Here are the winners and losers of Tuesday night's Republican presidential debate, accurate to three decimal places.

FIRST PLACE: Mitt Romney

Analysis: Strong, clear, gives good soundbite and has shoulders you could land a 737 on. Not only knows how to answer a question, but how to duck one. Asked why he was so late in deciding to oppose abortion, Romney smoothly replied: "I'm not going to apologize for the fact that I became pro-life."

His strongest line came about his being a Mormon: "I also believe that there are some pundits out there that are hoping that I'll distance myself from my church so that that'll help me politically. And that's not going to happen."

Romney does well in these debates but he is still languishing in the national polls. In the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll conducted May 29-June 1, Romney was still in single digits, tied for fourth place with Newt Gingrich, who may not even run. Romney can't debate his way to the White House. He needs something more and he better find it before Fred Thompson gets in the race for real and starts using up all the oxygen.

Score: 82.346 (out of 100.)

—S.S.M.