What Romney really did today

Most pundits have missed what Mitt Romney actually did today. Of course Romney wants to be nominated and elected president in 2016. Just listen to him and watch him over the last month. Romney’s problem was that the media was about to saturate coverage on Romney versus Jeb Bush. What Romney did today was change the channel, so to speak.

Now all of the media attention will shower on Bush, focus intensively on Bush, drive all of the investigative journalists to investigate Bush, allow all of the oppo researchers from other candidates to dump in the media all the dirt they may have on Bush. Bush, the former governor of Florida, did a brilliant job going after key staff and donors that would otherwise have supported Romney. Romney’s countermove was not to issue a Shermanesque statement about dropping out; that is not what he said or did. Romney’s countermove was to make Bush look like the hugely dominant GOP frontrunner, with all of the scrutiny and risk that brings, and if things do not go well for the man who would be Bush 45 when the spotlight shines on him, guess who is waiting in the wings, out of the line of fire, hoping to be the white knight of the GOP?

Wanna bet?

Budowsky was an aide to former Sen. Lloyd Bentsen (D-Texas) and former Rep. Bill Alexander (D-Ark.), who was then chief deputy majority whip of the House. He holds an LL.M. degree in international financial law from the London School of Economics. Contact him at brentbbi@webtv.net.