Team Romney is grasping at straws.......

[President von Cat]

I don't really see the upside for attacking Obama for past drug use or ties to discredited Chicago politicians. McCain did bring that stuff up in 2008; it was largely dismissed then and there's no reason to believe that people will care now. Obama is a known quantity at this point: people know about Jeremiah Wright, they know about Ayers, they knew Obama "inhaled", etc. He's been president for nearly four years, and hasn't proved to be a radical, a rampant drug user, etc. These attacks aren't going to do anything, except perhaps drive up Mitt's unfavorables.

The other strategic issue for the Romney campaign is that by going this route, they are going to take their eyes off the economy ball. I know some pundits have become exasperated with the singular focus on the economy, but its really the only issue Romney can campaign on. Sacrificing economic talking points to focus on things we know already about Obama's past seems like a poor trade to me.

In other words, it just seems like they are being baited into switching the conversation away from their only strength. I can't help but feel that the Obama campaign would love, LOVE for Romney to respond in this manner.

Romney should instead be defending his time at Bain and telling the American public why what he did there was good for American workers and the economy. Frankly, if he can't or won't defend Bain, how does he expect his surrogates to do it?