Taking the fight to Obama wherever and whenever he can will help the presumptive Republican nominee, who swept the five northeastern states that voted Tuesday, stay relevant during this awkward interval between the primary and general election when he has the distinct disadvantage of facing an incumbent president.

 

But Romney’s team also hopes to use this lull before the fall storm to begin to peel away support from Obama’s core constituencies, accelerate a concentrated assault on the president’s record and to start making strategic choices about which states are truly competitive and on what issues Obama is most vulnerable.