Mitt Romney doesn't get it

Mitt Romney tries and fails to find a campaign theme during the Southern Republican Leadership Conference.

The New York Times reports:

But in a hint of one way that this next generation of Republican presidential contenders is likely to diverge from the president, Mitt Romney, the governor of Massachusetts, went from heralding Mr. Bush's record on terrorism to embracing conservative concern about the growth of the size of government in his tenure.
"We are spending too much money," Mr. Romney said. "Our discretionary spending — taking out Iraq and mandatory spending — grew 49 percent in four years. Our debt has grown. Pork is always dispiriting. But pork being spent at a time of war is particularly dispiriting."

First of all, the way to gain momentum in the race toward the race is not to adopt the deteriorating mythology about Bush's "strength" on fighting terrorism. Considering the Bush administration's demonstrated ineptitude, whatever successes he has had fighting terrorism are more likely the result of coincidence rather than design. Bush's collapsing poll numbers on terrorism indicate that even Republicans are beginning to have their doubts. If Romney, or any other Republican, wants to distinguish himself on the security issue, he has to begin attacking Bush for his failures and assuring the American people he can and will do better.

On the other point, it is just sad to see the GOP continue to pretend that its voters could possibly care less about shrinking the government. They don't want government to stop doing things for them. They just don't want to have to pay for it. The Republican presidential hopeful who convinces voters that he will scale back Bush's upper-income tax cuts and expand tax breaks for middle-class working families will sail toward the nomination with the wind at his back.