Mitt Romney: Cool head for a dangerous world

Yesterday, John McCain told an AP reporter:

Seriously, can I say, right now, we need judgment. We need judgment. We live in a very, very dangerous and challenging world. I’ve been involved in every major national security issue facing this country, including having the pride of raising my hand at age 17 that I would support and defend the constitution of the United States.

He didn’t explain how the second sentence relates to the first. I have an idea why not. It’s pretty simple. When it comes to exercising good judgment and self control — with a few notable exceptions — John McCain has been AWOL for about the last fifty years. Yet, last night, at the Tampa Convention Center (hat tip to Byron York), McCain stressed:

I want to get right to the point. I’m running for president of the United States because I believe I can keep America safe . . . we face the transcendent challenge of radical Islamic extremism that threatens everything we stand for and believe in…The central battleground in this struggle is Iraq… Please remember this, if you forget everything else I tell you: Al-Qaeda is on the run, but they are not defeated…We will never surrender; they will.

With due respect to John McCain’s heroism as a POW, McCain has a devil of a time controlling his mouth and emotions. Why should we think him capable of commanding entire armies and navies? Recent examples below — collated by the Romney campaign — suggest that when it comes to keeping America safe, Mitt Romney is a better bet.

What They’re Saying About Sen. McCain’s Personal Attacks

“At certain moments it had the effect of making Romney look more sympathetic, at others it made him look like the only adult on stage, and at others it made him look like he must be the front-runner, since people were so determined to take him down a peg. McCain in particular seemed to go too far, looking and sounding downright snide at times.” (Noam Scheiber, “Too Much Romney-Bashing,” The New Republic’s The Stump, http://blogs.tnr.com, Posted 1/5/08)

Watch Sen. McCain’s Vitriol: www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6DR1Y3j_4k

Political Observers Noted Sen. McCain’s Nasty, Personal Attacks During The Manchester Debate:

The American Spectator’s Philip Klein: “Is He Going Too Far?” “All of the animosity that McCain has toward Mitt Romney is coming out tonight. Is he going too far?” (Philip Klein, “McCain: I Agree That Mitt Is Candidate Of Change,” The American Spectator Blog, http://www.spectator.org/, Posted 1/5/08)

The Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza: “Disdain.” “A clearly heated McCain, whose disdain for Romney was on full display tonight…” (Chris Cillizza, “The Republican Debate: The Roundup,” The Washington Post’s The Fix, http://blog.washingtonpost.com/, Posted 1/5/08)

National Review’s Andy McCarthy: “Cheap Shot.” “Moron Moment for McCain … and why some of us will NEVER support him. Cheap shot at Romney (candidate of change) as a set up for saying what a really fine guy Obama is.” (Andy McCarthy, “Moron Moment For McCain,” National Review’s The Corner, http://corner.nationalreview.com/, Posted 1/5/08)

The New Republic’s Noam Scheiber: “Downright Snide.” “At certain moments it had the effect of making Romney look more sympathetic, at others it made him look like the only adult on stage, and at others it made him look like he must be the front-runner, since people were so determined to take him down a peg. McCain in particular seemed to go too far, looking and sounding downright snide at times.” (Noam Scheiber, “Too Much Romney-Bashing,” The New Republic’s The Stump, http://blogs.tnr.com, Posted 1/5/08)

Politico’s Jonathan Martin: “McCain Lobs Another Grenade.” (Jonathan Martin, “McCain Lobs Another Grenade,” Politico, http://www.politico.com/, Posted 1/5/08)

National Review’s Kathryn Jean Lopez: “Unattractive.” “That McCain follow-on was unattractive from a man who is better than that.” (Kathryn Jean Lopez, “I’ve Lived…Change.” National Review’s The Corner Blog, http://corner.nationalreview.com/, Posted 1/5/07)

Michelle Malkin: “Snidely… Cackles.” “McCain snidely attacks Romney: ‘You are the candidate of change.’ McCain cackles.” (Michelle Malkin, “Saturday Night Jive,” Michelle Malking Blog, http://michellemalkin.com/, Posted 1/5/08)

Riehl World View’s Dan Riehl: “Well-Known Temperament Problems.” “If you were looking for substance across the board on issues, I think Romney was the clear winner in tonight’s debate. McCain’s well-known temperament problems lingered barely below the surface much of the evening, especially when someone dared disagree with him. Except of course, for his hugs for Hillary and slaps on the back for Fred. This is a change election and old hands from the Senate will not get it done.” (Dan Riehl, “ABC Debate: It Was Romney’s Night,” Riehl World View Blog, http://www.riehlworldview.com/, Posted 1/5/08)

CBN’s David Brody: “We’ll See If Voters Think McCain’s Attacks Crossed The Line.” “Then McCain tussled with Romney over immigration and told him that Romney could spend his whole fortune calling McCain’s immigration plan amnesty but he’d be wrong. Man, going after him for being rich, that’s a blow. We’ll see if voters think McCain’s attacks crossed the line.” (David Brody, “Brody File Reaction TO Republican Debate,” CBN’s The Brody File, http://www.cbn.com/, Posted 1/5/08)

National Review’s Andy McCarthy: “For Amnesty Before He Was Against It.” “McCain - the guy who was for amnesty before he was against it before acknowledging that it’s the only solution and is not amnesty in the first place except it kinda, sorta is, except that he’d never be for amnesty - says Romney is the ‘candidate of change.’ Change. You’d almost think of a resolutely, died-in-the-wool pro-lifer filing a brief in the Supreme Court to suppress the First Amendment rights of a pro-life group to help pro-abortion incumbents get elected … not that Senator Straight Talk would ever do such a thing …” (Andy McCarthy, “Re: Romney And The Onslaught,” National Review’s The Corner Blog, http://corner.nationalreview.com/, Posted 1/5/08)