Mitt Romney has made a calculated move not to release more than two years tax returns. If you think something isn’t behind this, then you are sadly mistaken. Add the fact that there is a great deal of murkiness about when he left Bain Capital and you get a truckload of doubt planted in the minds of many Independents.

Here’s an interesting take from John Cassidy:

“It’s only fair to assume that Mitt is doing what he always does: acting on the basis of a careful cost-benefit analysis.”

“But what information could the earlier tax returns contain that would be so damaging if it were brought out into the open? Obviously, we are entering the realm of speculation, but Romney has invited it.”

“Here are four possibilities: 1. Extremely high levels of income… 2. More offshore accounts…. 3. Politically explosive investments… 4. A very, very low tax rate.”

Romney went on “Fox and Friends” this morning to attack Obama for running a “dishonest” campaign. Yawn, haven’t we heard this before when he literally dogged out Newt Gingrich during the primaries? Um, tit for tat. Like Rahm Emanuel told Mitt Romney on Sunday, “stop whining.”

Politico: “A campaign based on falsehood and dishonesty does not have long legs,” Romney said on “Fox and Friends,” later adding: “The president only has one thing going, and that is constant attacks on me. They’re dishonest. They’re misdirected. And I think the American people recognize that kind of politics as something of the past. It may work in Chicago, but it’s not going to work across America.”

He also flipped the debate on transparency, saying,

Hot Air: “If we want to talk about transparency, the real issue is, why has this president used his presidential power and executive privilege to keep the information about the Fast and Furious program from being explained to the American people?”

Nice try at deflecting the real issue. How many times did the Bush Administration invoke executive privilege? I think the tax return issue and the uncertainty about his true departure date from Bain Capital have long legs and won’t die quickly. Still no answer from Romney on why he won’t release more tax returns or when he left Bain Capital. Of course, Gretchen Carlson, Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade just couldn’t bring themselves to asking Romney tougher questions. No surprise there. I wonder when he will get the guts to appear on MSNBC, specifically Ed Schultz and Lawrence O’Donnell’s shows?

Article cross-posted from The Hinterland Gazette

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