I agree in large part with your take Phil. Romney appears
perhaps a bit too cheery and too glib, giving the impression he
lacks grit although his policy statements read very similarly to
the other candidates. And yes, it was a "what are we, chopped
liver?" moment when asked whether his religion "scares" people. He
in essence, before a Jewish audience, said, "Oh no, Evangelicals
like me just fine." It was a chance to bond with the crowd and
sound a broad based theme in favor of tolerance and inclusion and
it was missed. Granted he is focused on garnering support from
Christian conservatives who vote in the GOP primary in much larger
numbers than Jews but it was a tactless moment.