I first met Mitt Romney in early 1994 when he was beginning his Senate run against Ted Kennedy and was a washed up pol at age 27, having lost my bid for state representative in 1992. I’m proud to say that I was one of the first volunteers for the Romney for Senate campaign.

Because of my early involvement in the campaign and my impressive résumé of having been thrashed in my sole attempt to gain public office, I got the chance to know Mitt well. On several occasions, I served as the candidate’s driver during the Winter of ’94, chauffeuring him to ward committee meetings and Elks Clubs where he would deliver his spiel.

Since 1994, I’ve had the chance to meet with any number of politicians. I can honestly say that the only politician who has truly impressed me is Mitt Romney.

I’M SURE AS ROMNEY’S PRESIDENTIAL campaign ramps up, I’ll have a lot more to say about him. Because I actually know the guy, I think I have some special insight that might allow me to bring something different to the table. And in the interest of full disclosure, I should acknowledge from the get-go that regardless of what political office Mitt Romney sought, ranging from dog-catcher to president, I would be rooting for him and be as eager to assist him as I was in 1994.

Mitt has already won the right wing media caucus, and some people are probably wondering why. After all, he’s not exactly a household name and he comes from Massachusetts and lord knows the country has seen enough of Bay State presidential aspirants.

Romney has won the hearts of people like Kathryn Lopez because he is a singularly impressive individual. Almost all politicians can talk the proverbial buffalo off the proverbial nickel; as a class, politicians excel at delivering lengthy extemporaneous speeches that offer virtually nothing in terms of substantive content. After a while, you discover that the reason our politicians shy away from substantive content is that they often don’t know what they’re talking about and thus must do so out of necessity.

Romney’s not like that. He built an extremely successful business career on mastering the intricacies of under-valued opportunities and then making the right play. In other words, this is a man who by discipline and by training gathers information, figures out the shot and then executes. To tie this into a few of my blog posts of the last week, if any wisenheimer blogger asked Romney if he had read any books on jihad and Islamic terrorism, not only am I confident that Romney would be able to provide actual book titles, he would also be able to deliver comprehensive summaries on the books he mentioned.

THERE’S A MINI-BLOG BOOMLET FOR ROMNEY afoot this week as both Allah and Ace have coronated Romney as their front-runner. Both have also offered the caveat that Romney’s only the front-runner if he doesn’t have some big skeleton in his closet.

Here, I think being familiar with the man’s history, I’m able to provide a little insight. First, Romney’s really not the skeleton kind of guy. Truly. I’m quite sure that he’s not in the habit of sending Instant Messages to 17 year-olds of either sex. I’m also confident that no one will ever find $100k of ill-gotten booty in Romney’s freezer.

But there’s no need for you to trust my instincts on the matter. Instead, put your faith in the most fearsome pit-bulls in American politics, the ones that the Kennedy family unleashes when it’s in trouble.

In 1994 when Romney ran against Ted Kennedy, Kennedy was vulnerable. Kennedy’s Palm Beach disgrace was still fresh in the minds of Massachusetts voters and it appeared that Ted’s act was finally growing tired. The Senator had become a bloated, barely recognizable version of the svelte Kennedy family models of old, and ’94 was shaping up as a huge year for the GOP. Adding to Kennedy’s woes was the fact that for the first time in 30 years, he actually was facing serious competition for his seat.

So the Kennedy attack machine jumped into overdrive seeking out dirt on Romney. The family’s retainees who worked at the Boston Globe were activated and spent several months revealing the shocking fact that Mitt Romney was a Mormon. To shed light on this exotic faith, the Globe talked to several theological experts like Representative Joseph Kennedy, the Senator’s nephew.

But beyond discovering Romney’s religion, the Kennedy opposition research team found a bare cupboard. The most damaging detail of Romney’s past concerned a company in Indiana that Romney’s firm had purchased. After the purchase, Romney’s company fired several of the Indiana company’s employees. The Kennedy campaign brought the fired workers to Massachusetts and labeled them “The Romney Truth Squad.”

It’s revealing that this was all the Kennedy campaign could come up with. It also tells you about the kind of “skeletons” Mitt Romney has in his closet.

To wit, there aren’t any.

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