Mitt Romney promised not to do what he just did, all the in the same day. (Orig. photo: Pool/Reuters)
Mitt Romney this morning,
vowing to avoid harsh criticism of his campaign rivals:
I'm not going to say outrageous things that could hang them down the road if they become the nominee.
But only moments earlier, the very same Mitt Romney questioned whether Newt Gingrich was too "erratic" for the presidency, citing his claim that Palestinians are "an invented people":
It shows a level of erratic outspokenness that might be great in a campaign, but is not great for someone who is running for President of the United States, representing this country.
Romney also went after Newt Gingrich for taking money from Freddie Mac, first demanding Gingrich return the money and then adding:
He was in the business of connecting folks with government. He was on K Street. This was a connection with government kind of business. It's very different than the private sector.
Mitt didn't stop there—he also mocked Newt's claim that he had merely worked for Freddie Mac as a historian, joking calling him "the highest paid historian in history."
To be fair to Romney, his criticism of Gingrich is right on the mark. But it's also exactly the sort of thing Mitt Romney is simultaneously pledging to avoid. As he told Politico a few minutes later:
I don't want to say something that is so damaging that that then the Democrats come back and beat him over the head with it.
He doesn't want to ... but he will. And he is. It's no wonder that nobody really believes anything Mitt Romney says.