"I could have possibly beaten Senator McCain in the primary. Then I could have been the candidate who lost to Barack Obama"

Mitt Romney's quote suggests that he thinks he might have been a successful prospect in the 2008 governmental election. He implies that he could have won the Republican primary against Senator McCain, and then gone on to challenge Barack Obama in the basic election. This quote reflects Romney's self-confidence in his own capabilities as a politician, and his belief that he could have been a viable candidate for the presidency. It also suggests that he believes he might have been a powerful challenger for Obama, and that the outcome of the election could have been various had he been the Republican candidate. Eventually, Romney's quote reflects his ambition and his belief that he could have been a successful presidential candidate.