On Policy, Romney Has a Pants Problem

In Once Upon a Time in the West, Henry Fonda shoots someone for wearing a belt and suspenders, musing that you can't trust a man who "can't even trust his own pants." Americans largely agree, and that's why Mitt Romney is losing; when it comes to policy, he's "wearing a belt, suspenders, and even some elasticized waistbands," writes Kimberly Strassel of the Wall Street Journal. He simply will not say what he'd do as president, preferring to focus on Obama.

"In the la-la land where adviser Stuart Stevens presides, Mr. Romney wins by never saying a single thing, ever, that might rock a single boat, ever." But that strategy allows others to define Romney's stances. "Mr. Obama may himself have no ideas, but he is an expert on the Republican's plans," which in his telling involve hiking middle-class taxes and hurting seniors. Romney's "decision to go 'safe'—to be Crouching Romney, Hidden Mitt—keeps him from harnessing the American hunger for political change." Read the full column here. Or click to read how the Romney campaign has been talking about foreign policy in more detail. (More Mitt Romney stories.)