First reported by the Washington Post’s Dan Balz a few weeks ago, and explored by Karl Rove in today’s Wall Street Journal, What Is The 3-2-1 Strategy?

Simply put, it’s Mitt Romney’s path to The White House.  By employing this strategy, and successfully executing it, he will become our 45th president of the United States on January 20, 2013.

Three refers to a trio of states that Barack Obama carried in 2008 but are typically Republican in presidential elections.  Among them is my home state, Indiana, which gave Obama a razor thin 0.9 percent win after he made 48 visits here throughout the campaign. Then there are Virginia and North Carolina.  An NBC/Marist poll out today puts Obama over Romney 48 to 44.  In North Carolina, Romney has held the edge in recent polls and looks to be on the path to victory in the Tar Heel State, even though the Democratic National Convention is slated to be held in Charlotte later this year.

Two is for the two states that decided the 2000 and 2004 elections, respectively – Florida and Ohio.  Adding these to his total, Romney would have 266 Electoral College votes, according to Rove.

One.  That’s what Romney would need to win if he captures the five states above.  One single state among Iowa, New Hampshire, Michigan, Wisconsin, Colorado, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Nevada.  One out of eight.  Polls in those states all have Obama in the lead at present, but don’t discount Romney’s proximity to New Hampshire, personal connection to Michigan and, as Rove points out, the presumed victory of Scott Walker in his recall election next week.

This strategy puts Romney on a plausible path to The White House.  Obama is struggling in national polls and eventually that trend will catch up to him in the various battleground states as more voters tune into the election.