Internal memo: Romney courting Kochs, Tea Party

Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney is quietly courting the Tea Party as it becomes increasingly clear that the conservative grass-roots movement, which has stubbornly refused to embrace him, represents a bigger threat to Romney’s quest for his party’s nomination than any of his rivals.

Less than two months before the Iowa caucuses, Romney is skipping a major Iowa event Friday — where every other GOP hopeful will be — to deliver a keynote speech on fiscal policy to the conservative advocacy group Americans for Prosperity.