The "honesty" of Mitt Romney

By Michael J.W. Stickings

On Today this morning, host Meredith Vieira asked the seemingly very pro-McCain Mitt Romney if the McCain campaign has been "dignified and honest."

In fact, she asked him three times. (Think Progress has the video and transcript here.)

Becuase Romney refused to answer the first two times, first blaming Obama for being "extraordinarily negative," then suggesting that the race will come down to national security and jobs.

With Vieira evidently exasperated, Romney finally called the McCain campaign "presidential," once again refusing to answer the question.

Apparently, for Romney, "presidential" is not the same as "dignified." Apparently, for Romney, being presidential means being undignified: "It's the way it's been ever since I've been around."

More likely, though, Romney knows perfectly well that the McCain campaign has been anything but dignified -- not least towards him -- and, when pressed, he simply blurted out a word he thought would put Vieira's line of questioning to an end: presidential.

He not exactly McCain's most reliable surrogate, is he? But, then, we already know he's looking past McCain to a run in 2012.

If he doesn't think McCain's been dignified, one wonders what he'll make of Palin four years from now.