A TV ad pitch for the January 15 GOP presidential primary by native son Mitt Romney begins: "And for me, Michigan is personal." It concludes: "There's a lot we can do to strengthen Michigan."

John McCain, whose campaign was declared dead by some wizards of odds several weeks ago, is on the rebound and plans to retrace the steps that led to his 2000 upset victory over George W. Bush in Michigan's 2000 presidential primary - including an election eve stop in Traverse City.

Whatever momentum these and other contenders will have coming into Michigan - where the GOP primary has a full slate, but Hillary Clinton is the only top tier Democratic contender - depends in large part on what happens in the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire's primary.

Meanwhile, after assassination of ex-Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan, much of the national media focus is on examination of foreign policy credentials of the presidential candidates. As CNN opined, "all are trying to make the case they are the best prepared" to deal with international affairs.

In announcing his call for moderation in the region, the campaign of Romney, former governor of Massachusetts, grandly pronounced that he "had a commander-in-chief moment by quickly making a statement about Bhutto and fielding questions from reporters" in New Hampshire.

Ex-Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee offered Pakistan "sincere concern and apologies." Apologies?

Ex-Senator John Edwards of North Carolina, who bowed to the Iowa/New Hampshire cabal and is off the Michigan Democratic primary ballot, said he understands "the dynamics and complexities" of what's going on in Pakistan.

On balance, presidential reigns of the 17 ex-governors elected to the job, including the two Roosevelts, were positive. (At least one governor was a major party candidate for president or vice-president in all but seven of the national campaigns since 1788.)

But when it comes to foreign policy credentials in the presidential current field, it would be hard to top those of long term senators McCain of Arizona and Joe Biden (D-Delaware), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

McCain, ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, has met with both Bhutto and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, and was able to credibly declare that he has the "experience and judgment" to deal with such episodes.

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who after 9/11 knows more than a bit about security, played it well: "I don't want to make too much of a political point about all of this."

While the immediate national focus of the presidential campaign after the assassination was on foreign affairs, the well-crafted Romney 30-second ad pegged to Michigan continued to play during local TV news programs. He says:

"It's inexcusable that Michigan is undergoing a one-state recession. High levels of unemployment, industry is shrinking here, jobs are going away."

The ad was scripted before Michigan's latest blow: the Census report that it and Rhode Island were the only two states that lost population last year.

But, of course, Romney is not running against Governor Jennifer Granholm, and all the current focus on Pakistan likely will not impact outcome of the January 15 primary.

Michigan will not get the campaign focus that has been centered on Iowa and New Hampshire, and Democrats won't even campaign here. But at least there will be an early-January emphasis by Republicans, who, we can hope, will be quizzed by voters about Great Lakes and other Michigan-oriented issues that in past years came up too late in the presidential nominating process.

The reason Michigan gets an early shot is primarily because of Democratic Senator Carl Levin, who long ago started a campaign against the Iowa/New Hampshire stranglehold on the process.

"Look out there," he once said as we sat along the shores of Lake Michigan's Grand Traverse Bay many years ago. "They (presidential candidates) should be talking" as much about the Great Lakes as they do about the price of corn in Iowa.

Let's make sure they do.

George Weeks retired in 2006 after 22 years as political columnist for The Detroit News. His weekly Michigan Politics column is syndicated by Superior Features.