Romney gets testy with the press - Updated

An awkward moment for Willard M. Romney on the campaign trail. An AP journalist breaks The Village protocol and challenges Romney’s false statement at a meet and greet. When Romney claims no lobbyists run his campaign, the reporter asks him to explain why a key advisor to the candidate is a well known lobbyist. Harsh words ensue:

Click here for the video.

Romney wants this both ways. He wants to accuse the other candidates of being “run by lobbyists” but as the reporter points out, by the logic of his denial, none of them have lobbyists as campaign managers either. But they do all have lobbyists as advisors. This is how present day politics “works.”

Meanwhile, Romney’s handler berates the reporter for “acting unprofessionally.” Apparently the definition of journalist according to the Romney campaign now forbids the reporters to ask questions if they’re not going to accept the answer on face value. I have a feeling that poor guy is going to get kicked off Romney’s luxury campaign jet. Meanwhile, that sound you hear is me, applauding courageous journalism. Romney has been lying his face off for months. Good to see him finally get called out on it.

Update: Alan in comments points out this youtube clip is from January 2008, which was not made clear by the person who reposted it. In a way this is more disturbing since, as clearly proved by the last link in my post, Mr. Romney’s mendacity is still very much a part of his campaign strategy.

Also, his advisory team is still loaded with DC insiders from “informal” adviser Charlie Black, chair of a high powered lobbyist group formed in the 1980s to his large foreign policy team of PNAC neo-cons who got us into the wars under Bush.