Mitt Romney is applauded by sons Josh (center) and Tagg (left) on Oct. 4: Tagg, the eldest Romney son, was not pleased with President Obama's aggression in the Oct. 16 debate.

AP Photo/Charles Dharapak

he controversy: In an interview with North Carolina radio host Bill Lumaye, Tagg Romney, the eldest son of GOP nominee Mitt Romney, said watching President Obama call his father a "liar" at the second debate brought out his pugilistic impulses. "You want to rush down to the stage and take a swing at him," Tagg said with a laugh. "But you know you can't do that because, well, first because there's a lot of Secret Service between you and him, but also because that's the nature of the process." Tagg, who reportedly took on a leading role in his father's campaign after several embarrassing missteps over the summer, went on to say that his dad is usually "terrified" before he takes the debate stage. "Terrified is too strong a word," he quickly added, "but he's like anybody. He gets butterflies a little bit."

The reaction: "That is no way to talk to the president of the United States," says Mike Nellis at Daily Kos. "Disgusting, but sadly what I would expect from someone that was raised by Bully Romney." But keep in mind, cautions Emily Friedman at ABC News, that the Romney campaign insists that Tagg's "remarks were in jest, adding that he was joking about how frustrating the campaign process can be for his family." Well, Tagg was right about one thing, says Adam Martin at New York: "We'd be pretty terrified if we had to argue with the president on live television. Even more if there was a chance of fisticuffs."

Read more political coverage at The Week's 2012 Election Center.