NRO: Florida's Presidency 5 Straw Poll Still the One to Watch

National Review Online (with a helpful hand-off by SaintPetersblog.com) writes today that Florida's Presidency 5 straw poll will be an important gauge of the GOP field.

In making the case, Katrina Trinko notes how P5 differs substantially and significantly from the circus at Ames, Iowa. She also points out the historic reliability of Florida's polls in predicting the GOP nominee.

But Trinko failed to grasp another key point. Though Iowa winner Michele Bachmann and putative leader Mitt Romney say they won't participate in the Sept. 24 poll, the RPOF intends to put their names on the straw poll ballot anyway.

That crucial twist, as first reported by Sunshine State News, could force Bachmann and Romney to appear on that Saturday, or risk embarrassment in the nation's largest swing state. Ditto for other candidates, such as Rick Perry, who have not yet committed to P5.

Read the full NRO story here.