In his Sept. 20 front-page article “Romney’s words hinder his run,” Matt Viser writes that “underlying many of Romney’s struggles is his longstanding penchant for saying things that redound against him.”
When, in a taped TV interview, Mitt Romney answered a question recently about what he wears to bed with the statement, “I think the best answer is: as little as possible,” it brought to mind that his modus operandi in this campaign, presumably on the word of his advisers, is to say as little as possible. And, in general, regarding important policy stances, Romney has followed that advice.
When Romney does open his mouth, I am reminded of Ann Richards’s famous comment from her 1988 Democratic National Convention speech. She was referring to George H.W. Bush, but I would substitute Romney’s name: “Poor George. He can’t help it. He was born with a silver foot in his mouth.”