A while back Mitt Romney found himself in some hot water when he said he would check with lawyers before approving without congressional authorization a preemptive attack against America's enemies. The Giuliani campaign quickly called this Romney's "attorney test," much like John Kerry's "global test" from the 2004 campaign. There may be a new test in the works. Consider the following excerpt from this enlightening interview with the Wall Street Journal's Brian M. Carney:
'So I would probably have super-cabinet secretaries, or at least some structure that McKinsey would guide me to put in place.' He seems to catch a note of surprise in his audience, but he presses on: 'I'm not kidding, I probably would bring in McKinsey. ... I would consult with the best and the brightest minds, whether it's McKinsey, Bain, BCG or Jack Welch.'
Hmm. I guess those people who are concerned with the "corporate takeover of American politics" won't find much to like in a Romney presidency, will they? At the same time, though, there are probably plenty of GOP primary voters who may respond positively to this government-can't-balance-a-checkbook message. It seems like a Romney presidency truly would be something new: government run by an MBA president who was actually one of the most successful businessmen in America. Americans would soon discover the true similarities - and, something tells me, the real differences - between statecraft and the market.