Mitt Romney’s Obama Osama Political Stumble

You have to ask yourselve: when will they ever learn?

TMZ.com has the pictures above of Mitt Romney — a supposedly slick political candidate — getting himself into the most fundamental kind of political pickle: he allowed himself to be standing next to and be photographed with a supporter with a sign saying “NO TO OBAMA OSAMA AND CHELSEA’S MOMA” with a big smile on his puss. Even WORSE: in one of the photos he’s holding it.

Is Mitt ready for Prime Time??????

And what has ensued? Exactly what you’d expect.

There’s a firestorm suggesting he’s suggesting a link between or Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Osama bin Laden. Others demand he disavow the poster. Just read memeorandum or this link to Technorati and you’ll see how this has become a big issue.

And, of course, Romney’s campaign has had to put a band aid on this quickly. TPM Cafe:

This obviously invited the question: Was it appropriate for Mitt Romney to hold up a sign likening Barack Obama to the leader of an international terrorist network, responsible for bloody attacks upon the United States, apparently all based on his name? After all, what would the media reaction be if Barack Obama posed with a supporter who had a sign comparing President Bush to Adolf Hitler? The press would go nuts over it, surely, and rightly so.

Election Central contacted Romney spokesman Kevin Madden for comment, asking if it was appropriate for the candidate to hold the sign up with the woman. “The governor stopped briefly for a picture with a supporter who just happened to be holding their own sign with an alliterative play on words,” Madden said, via e-mail. “I don’t think it was equating or comparing anyone.”

At the risk of being called a Mitt Romney supporter (and I’m not) here are a few thoughts:

(1) Romney let himself be sucked into a kind of You Tube moment. He let his guard down in what is an almost overly slick campaign. He has changed positions more than the Bush administration has changed justifications for the Iraq War but he is a kind of Teflon candidate, in contrast to a Velcro candidate — such as Senator John McCain. He has emerged unscathed…until now.

(2) This is petty political skirmishing. Most people understand he was dumb enough to be photographed next to and holding a poster that was essentially typical of the quality of most name-calling discourse which increasingly passes for political discussion in both parties and on talk radio these days. It was silly enough to allow him to be photographed next to the sign — unless he endorsed its message. It was stunningly poor political judgment to allow himself to be photographed HOLDING IT. That took it beyond being in the wrong place at the wrong time and helping MAKE it the wrong place at the wrong time.

(3) The poster was a lame and inappropriate joke. Osama bin Laden is the 21st century’s aspiring Adolf Hitler. But Does ANYONE in ANY political camp with an IQ of more than -65.2 or with more sophistication than a can of tomato sauce REALLY think that the poster is a) going to sway votes, b) going to convince anyone c) is even poorly effective word imagery? Who will it win over and be impressed with its spelling? Dan Quayle?

(4) In politics these days both camps always look for the slightest, most possible openings, grab it, run with it. Ranting and anger and outrage is what “sells” but at times it also smells. (TMZ.com is media, though and their “catch” of this as a journalistic “look at this!” is valid on the media playing field.)

(5) Attempts to smear Obama or Hillary Clinton as either being linked to, enabling or in any way sympathizing with terrorists are not defended by this site. Just read many of our previous posts. If our emails are any indication, we’ve lost lots of readers due to some of our posts on attempts by the administration and GOPers to say Democrats are soft on terrorism, don’t care about national security, or want the troops to fail in Iraq.

(6) But this is one of those truly stupid stumbles that a presumably experienced politician makes that everyone KNOWS is a stumble and isn’t what they are suggesting he’s suggesting but the point in politics is to put someone on the defensive. Then if one of the candidates supported by the people who are angry stumble and make a similar error, many of that candidates’ supporters will then say how this is different, it doesn’t matter, or go on the attack and try to divert the issue.

(7) The mainstream media and the new Internet media love this kind of story. Controversy is always popular (even a blown-up one).

The bottom line is that Romney has a lot of things for which critics can (and rightly) lambaste him, call him on, and ask his campaign’s staff to clarify.

TMP’s comment from the campaign staff should lay the whole thing to rest..

But don’t count on it.