Mitt Romney's 'hilarious' strategy: Claim Newt is a flip-flopper?

Team Romney reportedly plans to brand a top GOP rival as a "serial flip-flopper" — a label Romney himself has tried to shake for years

The Romney campaign reportedly plans to paint Newt Gingrich as a "serial flip-flopper," which is a rather laughable proposition considering Mitt's own inconsistent history, critics say.
(Image credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Publicly, Mitt Romney's campaign is unconcerned about Newt Gingrich's surge in the polls, calling it merely the latest anti-Mitt bubble. But behind the scenes, "they know the latest alarm isn't a drill," says Reid J. Epstein at Politico. To try and knock Gingrich out, Team Romney is preparing "a robust, sustained attack that tags the former House speaker as a Washington insider and serial flip-flopper." Newt has indeed changed many of his positions, famously on climate change, an individual mandate to buy health insurance, and the war in Libya. But considering that Romney is also famous for his own flip-flops (on abortion, auto bailouts, and health care, among others), is this really a smart strategy?

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black! If Romney actually follows through with this plan, "it will be hilarious," says Jed Lewison at Daily Kos. Sure, Gingrich is "every bit as flip-floppy" as Romney, but using that flaw to attack him has "such an obvious response" — look in the mirror — that Romney must be getting desperate.

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