Politico's Simon now on to a different part of Romney's anatomy: "shoulders you could land a 737 on"
In his June 6 column, Politico chief political columnist Roger Simon declared former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney the winner of the June 5 Republican presidential debate and attributed Romney's victory, in part, to the fact that he is "[s]trong, clear, gives good soundbite, and has shoulders you could land a 737 on."
As Media Matters for America noted, Simon has previously described Romney as having "chiseled-out-of-granite features, a full, dark head of hair going a distinguished gray at the temples, and a barrel chest," adding: "On the morning that he announced for president, I bumped into him in the lounge of the Marriott and up close he is almost overpowering. He radiates vigor."
From Simon's June 6 column:
Here are the winners and losers of Tuesday night's Republican presidential debate, accurate to three decimal places.
FIRST PLACE: Mitt Romney
Analysis: Strong, clear, gives good soundbite and has shoulders you could land a 737 on. Not only knows how to answer a question, but how to duck one. Asked why he was so late in deciding to oppose abortion, Romney smoothly replied: "I'm not going to apologize for the fact that I became pro-life."
His strongest line came about his being a Mormon: "I also believe that there are some pundits out there that are hoping that I'll distance myself from my church so that that'll help me politically. And that's not going to happen."
Romney does well in these debates but he is still languishing in the national polls. In the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll conducted May 29-June 1, Romney was still in single digits, tied for fourth place with Newt Gingrich, who may not even run. Romney can't debate his way to the White House. He needs something more and he better find it before Fred Thompson gets in the race for real and starts using up all the oxygen.
Score: 82.346 (out of 100.)
Media Matters: The Palin chronicles
The Friday Rush: A series of conflicts
Contrary to media hype, Sarah Palin is very unpopular
After the Republican debate last night, I was watching a panel discussion with Paul Begala and two rightwing commentators.
Mitt Romney said this in the debate last night
And that is that if you’re saying let’s turn back the clock, and Saddam Hussein had opened up his country to IAEA inspectors, and they’d come in and they’d found that there were no weapons of mass destruction, had Saddam Hussein, therefore, not violated United Nations resolutions, we wouldn’t be in the conflict we’re in. But he didn’t do those things, and we knew what we knew at the point we made the decision to get in.
But that's not true. Saddam did let them in. They were in the process of determining that Saddam was telling the truth finally when he said that he had no WMD's. Bush chased them out in order to invade. What we knew when Bush invaded was that we had faulty intelligence that had been proven faulty by those darn UN inspectors. Bush ignored the facts from the men on the ground and went with the faulty intelligence instead. That's what a numbskull he is, that he justified the invasion using bad guesswork instead of facts!
Begala mentioned that right off the bat, and the two conservative commentators defied reality and continued to abuse the truth. Begala was flabbergasted with their positions. If you didn't see it, you missed a fun time!
If those wonderful shoulders have a head like this on top of them, he's not worthy of the job. How can anyone claim that Saddam didn't let the weapons inspectors in, and therefore that's why we invaded? He let the inspectors in, and Bush still invaded!
You make a great point Sue.
I saw the exchange with Murphy and Begala. Begala stated if this were a general election debate Romney would be finished. Murphy and the other Con just shrugged it off and said something to the effect that it was not important or not what Romney meant.
Romney is done as far as I am concerned not for this but for all of his ultra right wing positions.
A Mitt-smitten writer named Simon
Like a flyboy in search of a flyman
fantasized in a funway
"He's got shoulders like a runway"
Will Mitt destroy Simon's Be-hymen?
Another great one HBL.
How about posting one in the O'Really thread. Things are getting a little too serious over there for me.
worrierking, I did , but only after 100 posts. I had to get one on the Condi S&M thread first.
Just found it thanks.
These neocon mancrushes on Romney are getting to be a bit much. has the homophobic right taken notice yet?
LOL, Excellent.
Let me try one in the same vein...
Simon the pilot lands airplanes on Mitt
His "flaps" are down and the runway is lit
Requesting his clearance
He has no coherence
Just were will his “jumbo jet” fit?
Arrrgh. Spellcheck won't save you from "where" and "were".
Thanks, Pete. We've got to pick up JuliaJayne's slack.
The "MAN CRUSH" is fast gaining sway
as the rightwingers pundit away
"That codpiece! Divine!"
"Those shoulders! He's MINE!"
So cheerful and happy and gay.
While you are correct about Romney's revisionism, Romney's "logic" is even more problematic. Romney says: "...[The Inspectors woul]d come in and they’d found that there were no weapons of mass destruction".
This is a great example of wingnut illogic. Republicans are great at reframing the debate like Romney just did. It is impossible to prove a negative. The burden should be on the people making the claim (the Bush Administration) to prove they are correct -- i.e. to prove that Saddam actually had WMD to justify an invasion -- not that Saddam didn't have them to avoid a supposedly inevitable invasion.
Aye...Mitt Romney is ten feet tall, and can shoot lightning bolts out of his arse! Aaaaarrrrrgggghhhhh!
In a couple of months I can picture a group of pundits drunk at some little league game acting like Will Ferrell and Tim Meadows in the Bill Bradsky skit from SNL a few years back. Embarrassing.
As for the shoulders....GMAFB. My shoulders look like that when I wear a suit...Dick Morris's shoulders even look like that when he wears a suit. ANN COULTER looks like that when she wears a suit. SO WHAT?
Somehow it makes him seem "Presidential"?
If these guys think Edwards is gay shouldn't they also refrain from going on about how dreamy Romney is?
Moreover, shouldn't Romney's own campaign refrain from doing so? If Edwards was distributing that garbage you'd never hear the end of it.
brabantio, to be fair Edwards strong *suit* is his hair and that 100 watt smile- not his shoulders
;-)
Edwards' hair is the runway and his smile the lights?
Good point, B. I almost feel like going to the news tip hotline for any outlet that perpetuated the Edwards slam to give them the scoop on how they should be going after chiseled jaw Mitt. And by the way guys, he's a capitalist pig!
wookie, it may be a GOP ploy. These guys are starting to bring out the homophobia in me.If Matthews and Simon keep this creepy stuff up, I may enlist as a T-Warrior.
If Romney picks Macho Man as a theme song I'll enlist too.
I've never heard anyone suggest Edwards is gay. Who do you say is doing that?
"I was going to have a few comments on the other Democratic presidential candidate, John Edwards, but it turns out that you have to go into rehab if you use the word 'f*gg*t,' so I'm - so, kind of at an impasse, can't really talk about Edwards" (Ann Coulter)
Beach, I think she meant he was a wuss, not Gay...but let's stay on topic ;-)
It's funny, when Ann first said this I thought she was being insulting to Edwards through slurring gays, now I think she is insulting gays by using the slur "Edwards".
So she implied he was a f^gg@t but she didnt mean he was gay. Please lets not torture logic to this extent.
And how would you get logic to give you the information you want, Solon? By asking it nicely?
Solon,
I believe we all discussed this months ago & my opinion hasn't changed. But I'd be happy to give you a recap.
When I was a kid we called our friends "f#ggots" when what we meant was wuss. My 3 sons [all now in their early-to mid 20's] did the same. In fact they'd call each other "f#ggots" or "Gay" when their meaning was wuss. I've no doubt that kids are still using the terms "f#ggot" or "Gay" today...and don't mean homosexual.
Coulter was calling Edwards a wuss. She wasn't implying that he was a homosexual. But you know Ann, she always has to push the envelope. She was tweaking the nose of the PC Police. Yes I know you & others hate that term, but there are folks out there always on patrol. But I digress...
So she said she'd use the term but would probably need therapy, or something along those lines. She was trying to start a firestorm, which she did.
You may not agree with me or my logic, but that doesn't mean I'm wrong & you're right or vice versa. We simply disagree here.
how do you know what her meaning was ?
That has very little validity TODAY even if it DID. Coulter has a history of calling people faggots AND questioning their sexuality including saying she thought Clinton was a latent homosexual. No, that doesnt fly. What we did as kids in the 70's isnt the same thing as todays climate
Besides, I thought it was a reference to Isaiah Washington's comments on the set of "Gray's Anatomy". He was talking about a gay man, yet when Coulter alludes to what he said, suddenly it's about being a "wuss". I don't see how that's what Washington was saying, therefore it doesn't make any sense that Coulter was using it in that context.
coulter is not some kid in the schoolyard. she throws the terms around with full comprehension of their potential. it's irresponsible at the very least.
Coulter is a terrible person.
Rush Limbaugh routinely refers to him as the "Breck Girl"...but AnotherRepublican knew that...of course he did.
If you deny it, it is so. AA even posted on the bit re Edwards way back, if I remember correctly.
I remember that as well. There have been other innuendos coming from the right including the Huckster's quip about Edwards' spending money at the "beauty parlor” It’s amazing how much time these right wing men spend discussing Romney’s looks, not to mention the disturbing commentary on George Bush’s cod piece. Now if someone from the left called Romney what he is ….a big phony flip flopping pretty boy that would be out considered of bounds and yet another example of Liberal’s being hateful.
You got it, Lynn... the degree of double-standard that pervades these rightwing pundits is alarming (sickening). The real prob (paradox) for the conservatives is the fact that Romney is a Mormon... alas, he is not the right kind of Christian. Therefore, he is doomed. What a world.
I agree with Jeter.
Edwards is a classic example of a 'metrosexual'.
Whatever that's even supposed to mean.
So Is Romney, right down to the stiff styled hair and sprayed on orange-toned tan. At least Edwards' hair moves.
And only a "Breck Girl" would spend $400 on a haircut ;-)
Rush is just jealous because he's going bald...
I am sure that Rush thanks God every night for MONEY and those little blue pills, other than that he probably would have been a lonely guy.
You heard it: Elect romney because of his shoulders or Thompson because he is an actor. Oh and don't forget, Giuliani cracked a joke yesterday. that should win him the presidence too.
yup, another clear case of looks over substance. Republicans are smitten with it.
Romney may have shoulders you could land a 737 on, but the passengers better grab their barf bags in case the plane keeps doing summersalts over Romney's flip-flopping machinations.
Tommy, I think your inner poet is coming out lately.
I don't know about that, but Romney and Edwards are the mirror image of one another for me - phony panderers......let them fly up and up away on a beautiful balloon, in the fifth dimension.
You silver-fingered Devil!
Or maybe it's the June gloom....?
If anyone's counting... the difference I think b/w the pandering to these right-wing candidates versus the scrutiny given to the Democrats is striking. Zero substance from the GOP camp.
...and, about a 1+ from the Democrats. Maybe 2+.
Good lord! Was this a presidential debate or a fashion show?
Issues? Who needs stinkin' issues? I think a stroll down a runway after the questioning would be an appropriate ending for all debates. Hell, Miss World and Playboy Bunnies give better answers...I particularly liked Miss September and her desire for WORLD PEACE. And, no, I never read a cartoon in Playboy..I liked the pictures.
I can see it now...
'Cos I'm a model you know what I meanAnd I do my little turn on the catwalkYeah on the catwalk on the catwalk yeahI shake my little touche on the catwalk
If I get that song stuck in my head because of that, I will get revenge...
ONLY a 737.
Why not 747 or one of those monstrous Airbus air buses?
When engaging in hyperbole, there is no room for being shy. Go for broke.
"Romney has shoulder wide enough to support the entire universe."
See, I'm implying he is practically God, which of course coerces Republicans and other easily scared/influenced/frightened primitives to worship him.
All bow to altar of Romney!
Or not.
Hey, he's THEIR god, not mine.
Randy
Also... "gives good soundbite?"
Ew.
if you read the actual transcript of his column, I think you'll come to the same conclusion that I did... he actually wrote, "gives a good, sound bite," subconsciously confirming his suppressed homomasochistic tendencies.
I feel sorry for Mr. Simon trying and trying to find something...anything meaningful to report out of these debates. But I appreciate the comedic turn in phrasing. If Chris Matthews had written the swoon song, I'd take the attraction seriously. We don't need another Manchurian "look good" Candidate that is a wind up toy. We've had that for more than six years. Mitt makes McCain look solid, and Ron Paul a revelation. But we need to sweep the house clean, so we can close the little shop of horrors once and for all.
A 737 can indeed land on Romney's shoulders. Romney is our Navy's new "Flat Top".
Notthatgeorge wrote: "But that's not true. Saddam did let them in. They were in the process of determining that Saddam was telling the truth finally when he said that he had no WMD's. Bush chased them out in order to invade..."
Wow, I am shocked by the ignorance of Democrats on this issue. Didn't you watch the UN proceedings prior to the invasion of Iraq?
It was common knowledge that Saddam would only allow who he wanted to inspect what he wanted, when he wanted. This was directly contrary to UN sanctions but the UN refused to back up their own sanctions. He forced American inspectors off the UN team and his people would deny access to facilities for long periods of time until he wanted to let them in. Send inspectors to the USA and let me control their access and I can prove there are no weapons of mass destruction in the USA.
Hillary herself complained that Bush didn't send UN inspectors back to Iraq. "..it was a mistake to trust George Bush that he would do what he told all of us he would do. He made it in speeches, he told us in private that he would put the inspectors in to determine whether or not..."
Please pay more attention next time.
It is of course YOU that needs to pay attention or at the very least try to have a minimal idea what you are talking about. Your post was absolute garbage. The inspectors said that after brief initial reluctance they were going whereever they wanted with no interference. So you are LYING.
http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/02/14/sprj.irq.un/
He (ElBaradei) said Iraq has provided immediate access to all inspection locations.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/nation/transcripts/blixtranscript_021403.html
Since we arrived in Iraq, we have conducted more than 400 inspections covering more than 300 sites. All inspections were performed without notice, and access was almost always provided promptly. In no case have we seen convincing evidence that the Iraqi side knew in advance that the inspectors were coming.
Solon, I was stuck on the freeway one morning not long ago, and tuned in to Ol' Rush. This post is very close to the angle the Oxymoron was spreading.I doubted anybody was buying, but once again, I'm shown to overestimate the average Republican.
There was a time when Saddam was not cooperating with the UN inspectors.
Then there was a time when Saddam was cooperating with the inspectors.
I'm talking about that time. After Saddam did let them in, as Paul Begala pointed out in the fall of 2002, they had great access to sites and to scientists.
Bush then ignored the men on the ground who said don't invade, and stuck with the flawed intelligence that was debunked by the inspectors.
One more thing.
Hillary did not complain that Bush didn't put the inspectors back in.
He did put the inspectors back in.
She was complaining that he promised that he would put the inspectors back in and then listen to what they said! He committed to checking to see if there were WMD's or not.
Bush promised that he would do all he could to avoid war, and only invade Iraq if he had no other options! That's what she was complaining about!
"...he told us in private that he would put the inspectors in to determine whether or not the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Clinton administration, many other countries who thought that there were stores of chemical and biological weapons were true or not."
HE REMINDS ME OF THE PERFECT GAME SHOW HOST. Is he gonna not take a presidential salary, take over the country, fire everyone, and sell it for a huge profit like he's done in his adult life (thanks to dad's connections...that's what government is for dad)to make his fortunes. He's the Governor of the perfect state of hypocrisy, phony as a three dollar bill and lives in a world few of us will ever see much less understand. Look at him...he's the perfect image of a game show host. For not being a homosexual he certainly attracts a lot of gay journalists who just can't get by his "big shoulders" and tiny little legs. Hey Simons, what do you think of his nose?
Simon is such a rip off. Here’s why.
"US Grant has the shoulders you could dock an Ironclad on"
Unknown-1869
"Dwight D. Eisenhower has the shoulders you could land a DC-3 on".
Unknown-1953
Interesting that Republicans, with their Black and White mindset, would even swallow such nonsense. It's clear for all to see, if you bother to look, that Romney's shoulders are no broader than anyone of the other candidates. In fact, I believe that McCain's actually look broader. I think Simon is just puffing up his favorite candidate.
and big, strong arms for you to dream in... sigh... oh, sorry, did I just type what I was thinking?
Sounds line he on a serious homoerotic binge. If that's his cup of tea I hope he is happy but I suspect he doesn't recognize the unintended faux pas.