The Hill News

Democratic strategist James Carville predicted Mitt Romney is almost certain to win the Republican presidential nomination and said that both Rick Perry and Herman Cain are not serious candidates.

Carville said it was unlikely that anyone but Romney would win the nomination.

"I don't think so," Carville said Thursday on Good Morning America responding to the idea that anyone else but Romney could get the nomination. "I mean Rick Perry's completely blown himself up. There's zero chance that Herman Cain's going to be the nominee."

Additionally, Carville said the only way Romney wouldn't become the nominee is if the former Massachusetts governor was unable to win enough delegates to clinch the nomination.

"The only thing that I can see is that Republicans just don't like him enough that he can't accumulate half the delegates as he goes through this," Carville said. "That these candidates just keep going and becoming such an irr! itant that he can't close the deal but that's almost impossible to imagine."

At this point, Carville said, Rick Perry has shown that he just shouldn't be running for president and should drop out of the race.

"The best thing Rick Perry could do for his family and his friends is just get out of the race and go back to Texas," Carville said. "This man is evidently not up to this. He had plenty chances to do it. He can't debate, he can't give a speech, he can't hold a position paper, he can't go on television."

Carville said the Texas governor is incapable of doing what's necessary to run a successful presidential campaign.

"He is incapable of running for president. He can't do the things that are necessary to run for president. He's behind Newt Gingrich in the polls right now," Carville continued. "He's just in something that he should of never gotten into. He's in over his head. It's not just evident to me, it's evident to 95 per! cent of Republicans."

Carville's comments came the ! same wee k that Perry unveiled his tax plan centered around a 20 percent national flat tax. The plan is a direct attempt to breath some life into his campaign as he struggles to stay in the fight in the polls against Herman Cain and Mitt Romney. Cain has been able to catapult his campaign ahead of Perry through pushing his 9-9-9 plan.

Meanwhile, Romney has remained near the head of the Republican polls pack in recent polls but has not been able to gain any more ground. Recent polling has found him staying at around 23 to 25 percent.

"If Romney's able to go over 50 percent there's nothing stopping him but there's great resistance," Carville said. "Every time you see these polls Romney can't get above 25 percent. [Republicans] don't want to be for Romney. It is perfectly clear, everybody goes up, everybody goes down. Romney stays the same."