Romney on Interns in the Oval Office, Nudge, Nudge

Nick Gillespie | October 30, 2007

From the telejournalistic act of fellatio performed last night by Sean Hannity of Fox News on Mitt Romney of Massachusetts:

Romney: I think the greatest drawback beyond the direction she'd take us is that she's never run anything. She's never had the occasion of being in the private sector, running a business, or, for that matter, running a state or a city. She hasn't run anything, and the government of the United States is not a place for a president to be an intern. You need to have experience actually leading and running things.

Hannity: She says her experience makes her uniquely qualified to be president at this time.

The whole thing was like an afternoon at the far end of the batting cages--softballs flying everywhere, a fellow might get hurt.

I find Romney's "intern" line interesting, because it shows calclulation on his part (Monica Lewinsky!) and a pretty mean streak, especially for a guy who has yet to show half as much personality or charisma as he has cold hard cash (which albeit he earned). And while all candidates should demean all other candidates' records at all times, his argument is really unconvincing, as several pretty good presidents have squeaked into office without being, say, a governor.

More excerpts of interview here.

reason takes a troubling look at Sen. Clinton's foreign policy here, gives her pantsuit a cheer here, and salutes tomorrow's neocon today. 

Comments

JohnD|10.30.07 @ 7:47AM|#

Hey Gillespie, I don't remember you saying much about the softballs that the Democratic candidates get from the MSM interviewers.

But maybe you could tell us what makes Hillery "Uniquely Qualified" to be president?

Moron.

|10.30.07 @ 7:51AM|#

Caption Contest!

"And then somehow, while her leg was behind her head, she twisted..."

|10.30.07 @ 7:51AM|#

Pshaw...the intern line was good fun, although he doesn't get as many points from me as he would have had he come up with it under a more competent (that is to say, lucid,) questioner.

|10.30.07 @ 8:14AM|#

But maybe you could tell us what makes Hillery "Uniquely Qualified" to be president?

???

You do realize Gillespie was quoting Sean Hannity there, right?

|10.30.07 @ 8:24AM|#

Call me crazy but it is in the realm of possibility that Romney used the term "intern" without Lewensky ever crossing his mind. Is it some sort of archaic term in the Gillespie household?

Of course it could be completely calculated but for some reason I just can't get my panties in a twist about it.

|10.30.07 @ 8:27AM|#

And while all candidates should demean all other candidates' records at all times, his argument is really unconvincing, as several pretty good presidents have squeaked into office without being, say, a governor.

I'm drawing a blank. Coolidge?

I'd count being a general as having led people, which dq's Washington and Ike. I can't think of anyone recently who was any good who wasn't a governor or general. I may just be having a brain fart, though.

|10.30.07 @ 8:29AM|#

Meant to say "run something" re: being a general.

|10.30.07 @ 8:39AM|#

"And while all candidates should demean all other candidates' records at all times, his argument is really unconvincing, as several pretty good presidents have squeaked into office without being, say, a governor."

Without being a governor? Perhaps. ...and I'll go right along with the suggestion that being a politician isn't really doing anything.

But how many of them squeaked into office with their only known professional experience consisting of putting together a partnership in which the partners had to go to jail?

|10.30.07 @ 8:44AM|#

She does have some unique qualifications. For instance, she'd be the first President, I'm aware of, to have opened her desk drawer and accidentally found FBI profiles on her political enemies. ...before being elected to office!

|10.30.07 @ 8:46AM|#

I can't think of anyone recently who was any good who wasn't a governor or general.

Nixon?

(ducks)

Truman?
Harding?
Harrison?
Garfield?

I don't think any of these guys did anything exceptionally well, and many of them were quite bad.

In my research, I went as far back as Lincoln, who was a representative, to find a decent president from the legislative branch. Sorry folks, that's as far as I'm going back, and I think the point has been made...

|10.30.07 @ 8:49AM|#

"In my research, I went as far back as Lincoln, who was a representative, to find a decent president from the legislative branch."

And some would even question him.

|10.30.07 @ 8:57AM|#

Caption contest!

This is how Hillary goes around her elbow to get to her asshole.

Lord Jubjub|10.30.07 @ 9:18AM|#

Kennedy was not a terrible president--though that doesn't make him a good president.

|10.30.07 @ 9:28AM|#

Mitt's argument is that we need a ruthless CEO to properly run the country. Too bad Ken Lay isn't around anymore.

Hugh|10.30.07 @ 9:33AM|#

On the other hand, you don't have to go so far back to find former business executives and governors who *didn't* make great presidents.

R C Dean|10.30.07 @ 9:52AM|#

I can't think of anyone recently who was any good who wasn't a governor or general. I may just be having a brain fart, though.

Kennedy? Ford?

|10.30.07 @ 10:05AM|#

Kennedy, whose "New Frontier" was the predecessor and spiritual inspiration for Johnson's "Great Society"? No thank you.

Ford, maybe, but he was an accidental president unable to win re-election, which makes him more of an historical footnote than a president comparable to the rest.

rho|10.30.07 @ 10:21AM|#

This is how Hillary goes around her elbow to get to her asshole.

We have a winner!

|10.30.07 @ 10:33AM|#

The CW says Romney is dead in the water and Rudy is the presumptive nominee.

Check this out.

If the caucus / primamry season started today, Romney wins big in Iowa and Rudy may finish fourth, Romney wins big in New Hampshire with Rudy second. Looking down the front end of the calendar (however that is going to end up looking like), Rudy is not a big frontrunner in a state until Florida and candidates are currently boycotting Florida for scheduling monkey business.

If early states vote for Romney / against Rudy, the national polls could change overnight and the CW could proven very wrong once again.

|10.30.07 @ 10:43AM|#

He used the "intern" line at the last debate, too. I really don't think he was intending to conjure up memories of Lewinsky...that's a really big stretch.

Of course, if Mitt has as much experience in business as he appears to, he would know a person doing a new job for the first time is not usually an intern.

|10.30.07 @ 10:52AM|#

"...he would know a person doing a new job for the first time is not usually an intern."

No, an intern is someone that has even less experience than a new hire doing a job for the first time.

It is all relative though. Calling a university student an intern is a good thing as it probably means that they above just working at MickeyDees for the summer. Call a 60 year-old senator an intern and it is a slam.

|10.30.07 @ 11:02AM|#

"Kennedy? Ford?"

Both Kennedy & Ford were naval officers and therefore did have some leadership experience and both were high enough up by the end of the war that they would have been held accountable for their actions and couldn't just blow wind. While neither stayed around long enough to hit the senior ranks, Ford was a Lieutenant Commander (that's the same as a major in the other services) when he got out. I know, I know Kerry wore a navy officer's uniform too, but Kerry was a douche bag before he went in and no amount of military training was going to change that. The navy even let him fake three purple hearts to get rid of him.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Ford#Naval_service_in_World_War_II

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_Kennedy#Military_service

|10.30.07 @ 11:15AM|#

"but Kerry was a douche bag before he went in and no amount of military training was going to change that."

Ahhh, the vinegary tang of personal animosity towards people we don't know. Why don't we just admit that we don't like Kerry despite his dutiful service to his country?

R C Dean|10.30.07 @ 11:34AM|#

Why don't we just admit that we don't like Kerry despite his dutiful service to his country?

OK, but only if I can also think that his time in the service provides many examples of his unique combination of ambition and self-regard.

|10.30.07 @ 11:49AM|#

I'm drawing a blank. Coolidge?

Jesus F. Christ, off the top of my head, Eisenhower & Lincoln. Hell, I'll put Jerry Ford on the list of those far more competent than the present resident of the Oval Office.

|10.30.07 @ 11:52AM|#

I don't believe Kerry's service was all that dutiful. He went into the Navy only after he lost his deferment. I have no idea about his silver star, but his purple hearts stink.

Never a single moment in sick bay for three combat induced wounds? That defies any reasonable explanation, except Kerry's senior saw him as a liability, wanted to get rid of him and let him get away with submitting fictious and/or overstated purple heart claims - the military equivalent to the civil service practice of promoting and transferring a poor performer (since they can't be fired) to at least make them someone else's problem. I spent more time in sick bay for industrial accidents then Kerry did for the three separate combat actions that resulted in wounds; I just don't believe the man.

Lamar, I'll speculate that you ever spent any time in the service, for if you had you'd know that Kerry's story stinks (and it has nothing to do with what GW Bush did or didn't do, before you bring that up). IIRC, I saw a stat that Bush won 70% of the military veteran vote; I think that shows that I am not alone among vets in my beliefs.

However, John Kerry can end all of this speculation on what may or may not have happened during his military service just by signing the DOD form (SF100?) that allows the release of his COMPLETE military record. John Kerry promised to sign that form about two years ago. Any speculation on why he might not have done that despite continuous reminding of his promise?

Oh, one more thing for the record Lamar… I am a registered Democrat (and still pissed that Kerry was allowed to get the nod. I felt like a Brit forced between a Thatcher and a Foot premiership - May not like Thatcher, but the idea of Michael Foot as PM was scary).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Foot

|10.30.07 @ 11:56AM|#

Quite frankly, MayorOmallyStinks, I never credited military folks with a good sense of smell.

|10.30.07 @ 12:22PM|#

"Hell, I'll put Jerry Ford on the list of those far more competent than the present resident of the Oval Office."

Jerry Ford wasn't so bad now that I look back at him. He sure vetoed a lot of bills.

|10.30.07 @ 12:23PM|#

Lamar - I know, as a famous liberal Democrat remarked, "You know, education--if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, uh, you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq."

|10.30.07 @ 12:28PM|#

Back on thread:

"...without being, say, a governor."

I wouldn't say that being a governor alone is a good enough reason to vote for someone, but being a governor does put a checkmark in the plus column and just (emphasis "just") being a senator/representative puts two check marks in the minus column.

|10.30.07 @ 12:28PM|#

Well, MayorOmalleysux, at least we agree on that.

|10.30.07 @ 12:29PM|#

I meant the 12:23 post.

|10.30.07 @ 12:32PM|#

""just") being a senator/representative puts two check marks in the minus column."

There hasn't been a Senator elected President since JFK and it's said he wasn't really elected because of vote fraud in Cook County, IL and Duval County, TX.

|10.30.07 @ 12:34PM|#

"There hasn't been a Senator elected President since JFK ..."

I guess I am not alone in my thinking.

|10.30.07 @ 12:46PM|#

"I meant the 12:23 post."

I took Kerry's statement to be an inaccurate insult to those that dutifully serve their country and an excellent example of a trait too many Democrats display: equating not agreeing with someone as being the same as the other person not being smart. This trait, which seems to be confined mostly to the Democrats, is as annoying as the right-wing's habit of referring to those that they don't agree as being immoral. Douche-bags all.

Government works best (or at least - less bad) when there is disagreement.

|10.30.07 @ 12:52PM|#

Is there a video link to the statement about interns? Was Mitt smirking or otherwise showing signs of trying for a double entendre? Hanging around Mormons in church, I find they tend to commit unintentional double entendres because their minds aren't as dirty as Teh Smutmongers TM here at H&R. ;)

|10.30.07 @ 1:03PM|#

I just think Romney was being mildly insulting and somewhat disingenuous. Normal political stuff.

|10.30.07 @ 1:09PM|#

George Bush senior was a Senator. But he was also the head of the CIA so I guess that counts as "running" something.

|10.30.07 @ 1:12PM|#

Cesar,

Bush I was a representative, not a Senator. Both points you made stand, though.

|10.30.07 @ 1:12PM|#

Wait, no they don't. Bush I was a horrible president.

|10.30.07 @ 3:00PM|#

John-David,
Bush I wasn't a bad president. I think he got a raw deal overall and history has been kind to him. His son was far, far worse.

MayorOmallySucks,
I took Kerry's comment as a swipe at Bush that was misconstrued because it was so poorly worded. I'm no defender/lover of Kerry, but I don't think he was taking a swipe at the soldiers, just the CinC.

Also, as I've never been in the military, how is being awarded a purple heart making Kerry someone else's problem? If he was never in sick bay, then he was still his commanding officer's problem, but with a medal instead.

|10.30.07 @ 4:19PM|#

Hillary Clinton worked for a law firm in Arkansas. Wouldn't that count as working in the "private sector"?

|10.31.07 @ 6:41PM|#

Kerry's line was supposed to be a jab at Bush. His writer's had worded it properly but Kerry flubbed the line so that it sounded like an insult to servicepeople in Iraq. It is more evidence of his lack of comedic talent than his disrespect of the troops.

Mo, Kerry's three Purple Hearts got him sent home before his tour was up. There are those who point to thousands of grunts in the Army and Marine Corps who got hurt a lot worse but got nothing more than a bandaid from a Medic or a Corpsman and orders to get back on the line. But one could just as easily point to the privileges of rank as anything there too.