Assistant Washington Editor

Michael Kranish is deputy chief of the Boston Globe’s Washington bureau. Kranish has covered national politics, the White House, and Congress. He co-authored the Globe’s biography of Senator John F. Kerry and authored a book about Thomas Jefferson.
“C’mon, Mitt, think.” So said Colin Powell on Wednesday as he assessed Mitt Romney’s foreign policy. Powell, appearing on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” said he was befuddled when he heard that Romney had declared that Russia was the top geopolitical foe of the United States.
It’s the first time Mitt and Ann Romney have contributed their own funds to the 2012 race.
Romney has vowed to commit at least 4 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product to defense spending, but analysts say his goals will be hard to attain.
Mitt Romney narrowly defeated Rick Santorum in the Ohio primary, but failed to deliver a knockout punch to his opponents in the 10 Super Tuesday contests.