Financial successes in the business world are not necessarily a "blueprint" for success in government. The "Peter Principle", (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Principle), comes to mind for both Romney and Ryan. For these two to attain the highest elected offices in our land, means they would attain the "highest level of incompetency" and, in this case, would spell absolute disaster for America.

When watching the debate I thought of Romney discussing issues with foreign heads of state - and he didn't come across as Presidential. He doesn't reason, he doesn't have the capacity to look at issues from someone else's point of view.

As for LOOKING Presidential - no, he looks like what he is, head of a corporation.

the question looms large; "how can past positions, unequivocal stands, and recent statements be abandoned at the last moment, and have this type of serious response from the media and the public at large?" it's like waking up in the alternate universe of "bizarro superman" where everything is in reverse, and broken...fractu red, yet everyone goes about life as if this is just another day at the office. chris hedges' title "http://www.ama zon.com/Empire- Illusion-Litera cy-Triumph-Spec tacle/dp/156858 4377" is a glimpse of the national malady; a type of disconnect btwn the super-impact of the visual cortex and the rational frontal lobes. this is a prime example; http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/environment/climate-of-doubt/how-does-climate-change-factor-into-decision-2012/

To accept the assertion that Romney "won" the first debate is to accept the premise that saying nothing at all of substance, supporting nothing that you do say, and smirking for 90 minutes is strong debating.

Obama, by contrast, managed to articulate all of his accomplishments relative to the debate topics of the evening. Substance over style: that is winning a debate (for thinking people).

Hey all romney had to do (like reagan) was to show people that he was "normal". And that he did. Even though he had to lie to do it.

As romney made perfectly clear during the debate, he just wants peace and is willing to end the war in Afghanistan as soon as possible. He also has no intention of bombing Iran...

I agree that Mitt Romney is not a serious candidate for President. He is what Jon Huntsman called a perfectly lubricated windvain. He just responds to the conditions of the moment. Maybe he is the ideal presidennt for the United States. No foresight, no historical background, no core values, just react to the current circumstance with no reflections or concerns for the future. Just react and try to maxamize your gains from the current conditions and have no regard for collateral repercussions of your actions. Just like your business decisions at Bane Capital.

Well stated, spot on - and Rich is no bleeding-heart knee-jerk 'liberal'. (Nice that he also notes the 'vision' challenge for Obama, and the history of debate 'zingers' usually working.)

At a time we have Akin "representing" people (including women!) by describing 'legitimate rape', joined today by Mourdock declaring rape as simply 'Something God Intended' - and as Ryan-Romney-Koc h-Rove prepare to 'legitimately rape" America, these are indeed shocking revelations about this strain of retrogressives in OUR government.

By the 'judgment' of this GOP/Tea/Crazy-t alk contingent who would take charge of OUR country, we can expect to return to days of polio and malaria (as vaccines interfere with "G-d's will), the undoing of seat-belt requirements (because traffic fatalities are G-d's will), and for G-d's sake, this Group of Pathetics (GOP) believe women *belong* barefoot and pregnant, subservient to (rich white)men and not a part of all G-d's children. And women are moving towards the GOP? Where? Why? How?

Clearly not fit to lead human-type people!

Scary, scary, sick, medieval, and... how do these people get elected? (That may be an even scarier question!)

As for Mitt the Flip's inability to form a position or belief for longer than an occasion of the moment, and his indifference towards (or embracing of) outright lies, wishes, and fabrications... This article's title says it most concisely.

People don't seem to be aware of what was included in Romney's "accomplishment s". He was directly responsible for an FDIC bailout of Bain & Co. (not Bain Capital, but its' parent), and he received $1.3 billion from the Bush administration to cover the 2002 Olympics, which was heavily criticized at the time by John McCain. He's a master manipulator and ruthless pirate when it comes to his own personal gain. Oh, and there's the 173% profit registered by Bain as reported in the LA Times, which can't have come from legitimate business activities, which leaves only criminal ones, like laundering drug money for Poppy Bush and supporting bloody coups in other countries. How anyone could give the slightest consideration to this man for the highest office in the land is completely beyond me. He's a fraud, from the get-go.

Corvette-Bob

Thank you for saying he's "a perfectly lubricated windvane'.
It describes Romney to a T.

"Point is, romney is a marionette. Pull one string, he says one thing, pull another, he says the opposite. He will do the bidding of his "handlers" no matter what. After all, they've clearly said they don't want a president -- they just want a puppet who can hold a pen and sign whatever they put in front of him."
Sadly, we already had eight years of that, and enough is enough.