Mitt Romney’s Impressive Double-Dose of Fakery

Mind you, if Obama lost on the Debt Deal then what to make of Mitt Romney’s position?

As president, my plan would have produced a budget that was cut, capped and balanced – not one that opens the door to higher taxes and puts defense cuts on the table. President Obama’s leadership failure has pushed the economy to the brink at the eleventh hour and 59th minute. While I appreciate the extraordinarily difficult situation President Obama’s lack of leadership has placed Republican Members of Congress in, I personally cannot support this deal.

As Ben Smith notes this is a statement crafted with an eye on the Republican primary, not the general election. As is so often the case Romney asks people (that is, the Beltway classes) to believe that his fakery is properly fake while hoping other people (the electorate) believes his obvious fakery is actually renewed and vigorous conviction. Half the time Romney says Trust me, I don’t really believe this and half the time he says Trust me, I really do believe this. At some point this too must eventually become too cute by half. Right? And yet, despite the shadow of Rick Perry, Romney remains the most credible Republican candidate. Strewth!