It's been a rough few weeks for Mitt Romney. Politico's piece about turmoil inside his campaign has been the story of the day so far. For further confirmation that these are rocky times, look no further than this round-up of recent comments from his fellow Republicans:
- Lehman moment ... not ready for prime time ... wasn't presidential ... utter disaster ... incompetent ... completely bungle it ... just trying to score a cheap news cycle hit.
--Senior Republican aides and strategists
- Romney looked weak today....And I thought, "He looks like Richard Nixon."
--Peggy Noonan, conservative columnist
- The Romney campaign's attempt to score political points on the killing of American diplomats was a dismal business in every respect. ...it was graceless and stupid as a matter of politics.
--David Frum, conservative columnist and speechwriter for George W. Bush
- As tortured in its reasoning as it is unseemly in its timing.
--Mark Salter, senior adviser to the McCain for President campaign
- Not much is required of Gov. Romney on this. He has to be poised. He has to be sure-footed. He has to be precise. He was none of those.
--Ed Rogers, longtime Republican strategist
- Frankly, the charges he made were not only completely untrue but reckless and irresponsible.
--Nicholas Burns, former U.S. ambassador to NATO under George W. Bush
- The Romney campaign put out a statement before the facts were in that politicized the matter and gratuitously attacked the administration for something they did not do....They acted too quickly, too rashly, too politically.
--Steve Schmidt, senior adviser to the McCain for President campaign
- He had forgotten the first rule in a crisis: don't start talking before you understand what's happening.
--Advisor to Romney's own campaign and aide to George W. Bush
- Romney should be standing as an American with Americans right now and not trying to narrowly pursue political profit.
--Charles Hill, longtime deputy to Reagan Secretary of State George Schultz
- He's just an ambitious man. Nothing wrong with that, except when you want to be president.
--Joe Scarborough,"Morning Joe" host & former Republican member of Congress
- The contrast he set with Obama was not good.
--Ed Rogers, longtime Republican strategist
