Iowa GOP helping Romney’s expectation game?

Earlier today, I said:

Jonathan Martin is reporting that Sam Brownback, among others, has buses:

An Iowa Republican said that Romney was bringing about 125 onto the campus of Iowa State University and Brownback just over 100.  Tommy Thompson is bringing the third most, about 75.

What I don’t understand is why Brownback has the money but Huckabee doesn’t. They had almost the same end of Q2 CoH. Either Huckabee just doesn’t have the bodies, or Brownback is blowing smoke. But I can’t see how Huckabee can’t afford buses when Brownback can afford 100.

I missed a third option. Perhaps the IA GOP is just lying.  After all, they are known to be in bed with Mitt Romney, and all the campaigns know that everything that they tell IA GOP staff goes directly to Romney (same for Michigan, by the way). And clearly the Romneybots are out working the expectations game today. So here’s what I think happened.

First, a Romney-tool feeds the 100 bus number to Jonathan Martin. Basically, my hypothesis is that this number is made up.

Second, Romneybot Jason Bonham provides the (correct) analysis that these numbers make no sense and that Brownback would be bankrupt if he was actually doing this. Basically, it is just too expensive.

And third, Romneybot-in-chief Hugh Hewitt channels Romney talking points faxed in from planet La La Land:

If Senator Brownback or Governor Huckabee don’t topple Governor Romney at Ames, the pressure on them to bow out of the race will be huge, and the financial realities even larger.

Anyone even vaguely in touch with reality — obviously this does not include Hugh — knows that Romney is winning this thing tomorrow with real margins. The Romney campaign is trying desperately to tap down the expectations game, especially after all these stories about Romney buying (yet another) straw poll. And it looks like the IA GOP is complicit.

I wonder if the Brownback campaign would confirm this 100 bus number. Jonathan?