Mitt Romney explains himself

Here's a visceral quote from the would-be President.

“What I said is not what I believe." 

- Mitt Romney, in an interview with Fox News, on his infamous 47% comment, leading First Read to conclude "that one sentence sums up Romney's two failed presidential bids."

Presidential candidates often change positions to get the nomination or to get elected.  As a political geek, I can't recall any candidate changing as many positions as Romney.  My beef with the Obama campaign is that they strategically chose to paint Romney as a rich, out-of-touch guy who takes pride at giving lay-off notices and banking in the Cayman islands.  I wanted them to go after him as being a guy with no core values who goes with the direction of the wind. My Romney attack is that he will say anything you want to hear.

What I learned from the campaign books I read while in Nepal?  The Obama campaign tested both attacks and found that independents actually like the flip-flopping Mitt so the Obama campaign went with the Thurston Howell approach.  I disagree but that's why I teach management classes and Axelrod/Plouffe run campaigns.