Mitt Romney in his appearance on Face the Nation showed Bob Schieffer what a well oiled weather-vane can tell you about where he would lead this country. Not much.
Bob Schieffer started the interview by trying repeatedly to nail down Romney's position on deporting kids who grew up in this country, only to get evasive answers that were clear as mud, and outright lies about the Democrats' record of trying to pass the Dream Act.
"Face the Nation" transcripts, June 17, 2012: Gov. Romney
BOB SCHIEFFER (voice overlapping): Well, what would you do about it?
MITT ROMNEY: Well, as-- as you know, he was-- he was President for the last three and a half years, did nothing on immigration. Two years, he had a Democrats' House in Senate, did nothing of permanent or-- or long-term basis. What I would do is I'd make sure that by coming into office I would work with Congress to put in place a long-term solution for the-- for the children of those that-- that have come here illegally--
BOB SCHIEFFER (voice overlapping): Would you--
MITT ROMNEY: --and I've said, for instance, that-- that those who served in the military, I would give permanent residents, too.
BOB SCHIEFFER: Sure, but would you repeal this?
MITT ROMNEY: Well, it would be overtaken by events, if you will, by virtue of my putting in place a long-term solution with-- with legislation which creates law that relates to these individuals, such that they know what their-- their stat-- setting is going to be--
BOB SCHIEFFER (voice overlapping): But would--
MITT ROMNEY: --not just-- not-- not just for the term of the President, but on a permanent basis.
BOB SCHIEFFER: I-- I won't keep on about this but just to-- to make sure I understand, would you leave this in place while you worked out a long-term solution or would you just repeal it?
MITT ROMNEY: We'll-- we'll look at that-- we'll look at that setting as we-- as we reach that. But my anticipation is, I'd come into office and say we need to get this done on a long-term basis, not this kind of a stopgap measure. What-- what the President did, he-- he should have worked on this years ago. If he felt seriously about this, he should have taken action when he had a Democrat House and Senate, but he didn't. He saves these sort of things until four and a half months before the general election.
At this point Bob Schieffer gives up trying to get an answer from Mr. Romney on how he would handle deportations of people who grew up in this country, and moves on to a different facet of the story that Schieffer knows Mitt is eager to talk about: Obama's motivation for halting these deportations.
On Europe and its precarious economic situation Mitt says he would take a hands off approach and be willing to let things slide toward financial calamity.
MITT ROMNEY: Well, we can certainly offer our counsel and we can look nation by nation and talk about the kinds of things we think are appropriate for them to do, which actions we think are-- are too challenging for them to deal with, which-- which actions would have the best chance of shoring up their-- their banking sector.
More rhetorical jello.
The European banking sector is connected to the American banking sector like conjoined twins. Did Mitt even notice that JP Morgan's investment division that gambled big and lost billions is located in London?