Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has retooled his message on the stump, dropping many of his folky stories and emphasis on Yankee values in favor of a forceful claim that he's the real change agent.

    

Chief rival John McCain has been in Washington too long and done little to bring about change on taxes, immigration, health care and energy independence, Romney said.

    His campaign ad accentuates this new message with New Hampshire voters concluding that McCain ``had his chance to make it better.''

    Well, Politco.com's Jonathan Martin first reported Saturday afternoon the McCain campaign had uncovered a quote in Romney's own 2004 book, ``Turnaround.''

   In it, Romney praised McCain's maverick as ``Washington's number one watchdog against waste.''

-30-