Mitt Romney Smacks Bush!!!

Republican Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney has unleashed a vicious and telling swipe at the President of his own party.  

Romney, a potential '08 Presidential candidate, recently regained the spotlight as, with approval of Mass.' Democratic legislature, he took over full control of the investigation, inspection and repairs vis-a-vis Boston's Big Dig.  Join me over the jump for the smack-down!

On July 10, Milena Del Valle, 38, was killed when ceiling panels in one of the Big Dig's tunnels came loose and crushed the car in which she was riding.  In what is widely viewed as a high-stakes move by the former turnaround artist in the venture capital world who was also credited with righting the ship on the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, he has jumped front-and-center on this critical issue, vowing to straighten out this ugly mess.  

In Glen Johnson's AP analysis, carried in yesterday's papers, he notes: "In 'Turnaround', his 2004 book, Romney wrote about the importance of such moments."

"It is during the first few days that people form their impression of a new leader," he said. "There's no time for strategizing; what you do right away speaks volumes.  What you do later isn't being watched as intensely."

Well, Mitt clearly gets it; Rudy built an indelible image on this precept.  But, whether consciously or not, I think the sentiment speaks volumes about 'W'.  It clarifies an unmistakable pattern: 9/11, Tsunami, Katrina, Lebanon--each of these crises has been immediately followed by an incredible silence, lack of leadership and action.  Each time, the total lack of response of any kind has been stunning and problematic--as much for them as for us.  

I think Mitt may be on to something.  Bush and his minions lack that 'gut instinct' to in any way do the right thing.  Their reaction, instead, seems to be to surreptitiously dissect the crisis to divine their potential political and economic gain--as a result, people have died, people have suffered, and it becomes ever more clear that our 'leader' is nothing of the sort.