In the 1980s polar bears became "the poster child" for anti-zoo movement after being kept in cramped concrete pits whose only attempt at recreating the bear's eco-system was white paint.
That means finding a formula that satisfies Germany and others by making the shift to a new voting system almost inevitable, but which Poland could paint as something less than a surrender.
As the primary nears, the Romney campaign has increased the pace of TV advertising in Michigan, including attacks on Mr Santorum - whom they paint as an unreliable guardian of the US economy and a veteran of a broken Washington system.