What About Mitt?

With apologies to marvelous comedic actress Julie Hagerty for her role in "What About Bob?" playing the ditzy wife of a famous psychologist in one of the great comedy films of our time, we have wondered is anyone asking, "What about Mitt?"

Mitt went way out of his way to trash Mr. Trump.  Frankly, we were shocked as Mitt handled Barack Obama with "kid gloves."  We would think he could have shown more persepective and gravitas than to dump on Mr. Trump with such vehemence as:

On Trump's business record:

"But you say, 'Wait wait wait,' isn't he a huge business success? Doesn't he know what he's talking about? No he isn't. And know he doesn't. His bankruptcies have crushed small businesses and the men and women who worked for them. He inherited his business, he didn't create it. And what ever happened to Trump Airlines? How about Trump University? And then there's Trump Magazine and Trump Vodka and Trump Steaks and Trump Mortgage. A business genius he is not."

I do not know that Mr. Trump doesn't know what he is talking about, do you, Mitt?  Example?  Proof?  Citations?

On Trump's foreign policy credentials:

"Donald Trump tells us that he is very, very smart. I'm afraid that when it comes to foreign policy he is very, very not smart."

And, on what do you base that charge, sir?

On whether Trump has the temperament of a President:

"This is an individual who mocked a disabled reporter, who attributed a reporter's questions to her menstrual cycle, who mocked a brilliant rival who happened to be a woman due to her appearance, who bragged about his marital affairs, and who laces his public speeches with vulgarity."

Mr. Trump did not know the man was disabled.  Joe Biden made the same mistake and no one trashed him, not even you.

On how Trump recalls spending the Vietnam War years:

"There is dark irony in his boasts of his sexual exploits during the Vietnam War while at the same time John McCain, whom he has mocked, was imprisoned and tortured."

Endorsing the Viet Nam war is to endorse the corruption of America today.  It was fought for Defense Department supplier profits as they kick back to corrupt officials.

On Trump's "hallmark" quality:

"Dishonesty is Trump's hallmark: He claimed that he had spoken clearly and boldly against going into Iraq. Wrong. He spoke in favor of invading Iraq. He said he saw thousands of Muslims in New Jersey celebrating 9/11. Wrong. He saw no such thing. He imagined it. He's not of the temperament of the kind of stable, thoughtful person we need as leader. His imagination must not be married to real power."

His first public utterance was on a Howard Stern Show where he admitted he knew little about it.

On his very specific plan to defeat Trump in the primary:

"Given the current delegate selection process, that means that I'd vote for Marco Rubio in Florida, for John Kasich in Ohio, and for Ted Cruz or whichever one of the other two contenders has the best chance of beating Mr. Trump in a given state."

On Trump's less appealing "personal qualities:"

"Think of Donald Trump's personal qualities, the bullying, the greed, the showing off, the misogyny, the absurd third grade theatrics. We have long referred to him as 'The Donald.'  He is the only person in the entire country to whom we have added an article before his name. And it wasn't because he had attributes we admired."

On the most ridiculous concept expressed in the campaign:

"What he said on '60 Minutes' about Syria and ISIS has to go down as the most ridiculous and dangerous idea of the campaign season: Let ISIS take out Assad, he said, and then we can pick up the remnants. Think about that: Let the most dangerous terror organization the world has ever known take over a country? This is recklessness in the extreme."

Frankly, that is good strategy as ISIS would suffer casualties and be weaker.  Then go in an hit them.

On what would happen if Trump released his tax returns and a tape of his off-the-record conversation with The New York Times:

"I predict that there are more bombshells in his tax returns. I predict that he doesn't give much if anything to the disabled and to our veterans. I predict that he told The New York Times that his immigration talk is just that: talk. ... If I'm right (that he won't release either), you will have all the proof you need to know that Donald Trump is, indeed, a phony."

Tax attorneys told Trump not to release them as numbers change during audits with items disalowed, allowed and discovered and Mitt knows that better than anybody.

On the value of a diploma from Trump University:

"Here's what I know. Donald Trump is a phony, a fraud. His promises are as worthless as a degree from Trump University. He's playing the members of the American public for suckers: He gets a free ride to the White House and all we get is a lousy hat."

Mr. Trump has over 1,000 endorsements from former students that found his school very helpful and the instruction well worth the cost. That being the case we feel he would have successfully defended himself in the lawsuit he paid $25 million to settle out of court.  He would not be able to testify and may not have been sure subordinates could, or would be reliable witnesses.  Civil litigation is game more than anything. 

It is a matter of record in terms of money Mr. Trump has been a far more serious and sincere candidate than Mitt Romney. In spite of some disastrous gaffs he responded to the needs and wants of the electorate far better than did Mitt Romney.  We think Mr. Trump is using Mitt Romney to demonstrate he is a far bigger man and one with vision unlike Mitt.  And, Mr. Trump is likely keeping Mitt on a "string" to prevent any mischief with Lindsey Graham and John Kasich in some cockamamey scheme with the Electoral College.

It is doubtful Mr. Trump would to have Mitt aboard the US Trump Ship of State.

Adrian Vance