Byron York: “Now, the general election campaign is here, and the talk is of the Obama
killing machine, not the Romney death star. By most accounts, the
Romney campaign is not displaying the super-aggressive effectiveness it
showed in the primaries.”
“Newt Gingrich complained loudly — some called it whining — when
Romney first hit him with a negative ad barrage in Iowa. Then, when
Romney attacked on a far bigger scale in Florida, Gingrich reacted badly
again. Privately, the Romney campaign, which at times seemed to
delight at kicking the hell out of a Republican opponent, had no respect
for Gingrich’s tendency to complain when attacked. Just take it and
hit back harder — that was the way they saw it. Now, however, Romney is
complaining about Obama’s attacks. Romney is far more self-controlled
than Gingrich, but the effect is the same; he’s whining about the other
guy treating him badly. It’s the same thing that happened in the
primary campaign, only with Romney on the hurting end.”