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BEIJING (AP) -- China's premier on Monday called for a boost in domestic consumption to keep the economy expanding while overseas markets remain weak, and pledged greater support for social security, employment and public housing to help those left behind by the nation's economic boom....

BEIJING (AP) -- China's premier on Monday called for a boost in domestic consumption to keep the economy expanding while overseas markets remain weak, and pledged greater support for social security, employment and public housing to help those left behind by the nation's economic boom....

SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- Presidential candidate Rick Santorum on Thursday said Republicans should give President Barack Obama another term if Santorum isn't the GOP nominee and for a second day compared rival Mitt Romney to an Etch A Sketch toy....

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Five months after the CIA sought out and killed an American-born cleric and al-Qaida operative in Yemen, Attorney General Eric Holder is expected to explain how the U.S. can legally kill U.S. citizens on foreign soil....

China's premier opens the last parliament session before a leadership change with a wide-ranging speech on the economy, land rights and the military.

While Mitt Romney is on a five state winning streak and is out-pacing John McCain's 2008 performance on most fronts, he still has a very long way to go. Super Tuesday can either solidify his standing as the front-runner or allow for a competitor, most likely Rick Santorum, to re-emerge.

Some of the 10 Super Tuesday states are easy to predict, but others remain a big question mark. Polls of individual "Super Tuesday" states have been rare and, in most instances, only focus a handful of the larger contests. The impact of the recent Romney victories and Santorum losses has yet to be determined. National polls suggest he has lost most of his momentum.

As of today, here is how things look to be shaping up:

Three Easy Romney Wins

Romney will be an easy winner in Massachusetts, where he was governor, and most likely in demographically-similar Vermont. He was handed a gift in Virginia where longtime residents Newt Gingrich, who failed to submit enough valid signatures, and Rick Santorum, who didn't even try to submit signatures, won't even be on the ballot.

Newt Good For Georgia

A handful of new polls have Newt hanging out in the 40% range in the state he represented for over two decades. While Romney probably hasn't stepped foot in his home state of Massachusetts, Newt has had to spend far too much time in Georgia to avoid an embarrassment. This has allowed for less campaign time for Newt in other states, despite skipping contests in Arizona and Michigan.

Santorum "Must Wins"

While Santorum has yet to notch a big win (he had less than 30,000 votes in all three caucus victories) he is still considered Romney's main competition and is the favorite in both Tennessee and Oklahoma. In 2008, Mike Huckabee won Tennessee while McCain pulled out a win in Oklahoma on Super Tuesday. Santorum must win both of these states to remain competitive in the long run. Three polls show Santorum is far from a sure bet in Tennessee.

Ohio: The Big Get

Certain states always get more attention than others. On Super Tuesday, Ohio is that state. Newt has split his time between Georgia and Ohio for the better part of a month. Santorum has been busy battling in Michigan with Romney and probably missed out on precious opportunity to collect early votes. Romney has been the only candidate with an early-vote operation and the ability to launch a campaign in multiple states at one time. These factors, combined with momentum, should give Romney the edge.

The Unpredictable Rest

Alaska, Idaho, and North Dakota round out the rest of the Tuesday contests. All three will be low-turnout caucuses and will be somewhat unpredictable. Romney actually won Alaska and North Dakota in 2008, while Idaho held a primary after Romney withdrew. Santorum has done well in smaller caucuses like these, but only when he has been able to heavily out-campaign his opponents. This won't happen here. It could be a clean sweep for Romney once again based on his continuing momentum and the fact that his competition has been able to spare little resources outside of the main Super Tuesday contests.

The Bottom Line

To really secure the nomination lead, Romney would need to win Ohio or to pull off an upset in Georgia, Oklahoma, or Tennessee and take the three small caucus states. If he wins seven states, it's hard to see his momentum derailed. Gingrich will probably only win Georgia and anything beyond that will give him reason to continue on. Santorum really needs to win Ohio, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. Since he is considered the favorite in those states, he would also need to steal a caucus state or two. If he leaves Super Tuesday with only two victories, the road ahead becomes increasingly difficult.

See Also: Super Tuesday Forum Predictions

Super Tuesday Preview originally appeared on About.com Conservative Politics: U.S. on Monday, March 5th, 2012 at 03:30:31.

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