Byron York zeroes in on the bad blood between McCain and Romney
camps and the exchange in which Romney denies calling McCain's
immigration plan amnesty. The more I think about it the stranger
that seems. First, Romney does want voters to think it is amnesty
so why deny it? Second, he repeatedly HAS called it amnesty-- so,
again, why deny it and provide more fodder for the credibility
cops who can point to dozens of Romney's own ads and mailers? I
think the reality lies in something
others picked up last night. Romney does not deal well with
direct confrontation. He shrinks from a direct clash and isn't the
type of candidate to say "Darn right I called it amnesty!" If you
recall the "Woodstock" debate, McCain's other memorable moment was
essentially calling Romney a phony to his face. Romney let it pass.
Can you imagine Thompson or Rudy not engaging on this point? There
is a fine line between staying above the fray and running, even at
the point of undermining your own arguments and damaging your
credibility, from a good fight on the issues. It may be polite or
proper etiquette in the business world but this is politics. If
you're not going to stand up for yourself, others sure won't.