John Heilman and Mika Brzezinski have just nailed it on Morning Joe.
In describing how Romney seemd out of his element last night, they zeroed in on two of Romney's personal traits that proved problematic for him. These two critiques -- which, if you've been watching the debates since the beginning of primary season as have many of us here, are both indisputable -- highlight two reasons Romney is temperamentally unsuited to be President of the United States.
First came Heilman's point:
Romney was mostly defensive, mostly reactive -- and to Mark's point, I think, about the President being in his head -- he does not---- I thought the reason this format wouldn't work well for him was because of the interacting with the audience. It turned out the reason it didn't work well for him is because he doesn't really like to be challenged directly, and when he is challenged directly he does tend to get a little rattled. Then Mika chimed in with this gem: Well, and I also think that the physical nature of this setting. It worked better for Romney last time because it was much more controlled. And he is a man who likes everything to be controlled and in place. How in the world does this man expect to be the leader of the free world if he gets rattled when everything doesn't go as planned, or when someone challenges him? How would he respond to a crisis --unexpected, as crises tend to be -- with millions of lives at stake? How would he handle the incessant public criticism that goes hand in hand with being the resident of the Oval Office?Combine these questions with Lady Ann's recent concern about a President Mitt's mental well-being, and a picture is emerging of a man who is simply too emotionally fragile for the rigors of the office he is seeking.