PRESIDENT DID WAS WRONG. GRIEVOUSLY WRONG.
GRIEVOUSLY WRONG. WE ARE ALL FOOTNOTES AT BEST IN
THE ANNALS OF HISTORY.
BUT IN THE MOST POWERFUL NATION
ON EARTH, THE NATION CONCEIVED
IN LIBERTY AND JUSTICE, THAT
DISTINCTION IS ENOUGH FOR ANY
CITIZEN.
CITIZEN. THANK YOU, MR. PRESIDENT.
I YIELD THE FLOOR.
>> AND WITH THAT, THE WHITE
HOUSE, TRUMP’S KIDS, THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY, JUST BEGAN TO
SNAP BACK, LASH OUT AGAINST MITT
ROMNEY, THE CONSEQUENCES STARTED
ROLLING IN ALMOST IMMEDIATELY.
MARK LEIBOVICH, YOU SPOKE TO
MITT ROMNEY RIGHT AFTER HE MADE
UP HIS MIND.
WHAT DID HE TELL YOU?
>> HE TOLD ME WHAT HE WAS GOING
TO DO AND I WAS FRANKLY NOT
SURPRISED BUT ALSO QUITE
SOMETHING TO HEAR HIM ACTUALLY
MAKE THAT DECISION.
I TALKED TO HIM ABOUT AN HOUR
BEFORE HE GAVE THAT SPEECH.
A COUPLE THINGS STRUCK ME.
ONE, HE WAS NERVOUS.
SEEMED, MITT ROMNEY IS KNOWN FOR
BEING JUST ICE WATER IN HIS
VEINS KIND OF GUY.
NOT A LOT SEEMS TO PHASE HIM.
SPOKE HALTINGLY.
SPOKE HALTINGLY. VERY EMOTIONAL ABOUT THIS
DECISION, HADN’T SLEPT MUCH IN A
LONG TIME AND THAT WAS REFLECTED
IN HIS SPEECH ITSELF.
THE OTHER THING THAT STRUCK ME
WAS JUST HOW DEEPLY HE HAD
THOUGHT ABOUT THIS.
I THINK PEOPLE WILL BE VERY
CYNICAL ABOUT THIS.
THAT’S SOAR OF THE NATURE HOW
PEOPLE VIEW POLITICS THESE DAYS.
THEY’LL SEE THE AGONY AS A BIT
PERFORMATIVE.
PERFORMATIVE. SITTING THERE TALKING TO HIM,
THERE WAS A REAL SENSE, NOT SO
MUCH OF SELF-JUSTIFICATION, BUT
OF A FULL AWARENESS OF WHAT WAS
IN STORE FOR HIM.
THAT THERE WERE GOING TO BE
REALLY SEVERE POLITICAL
CONSEQUENCES FOR HIM, AND THAT
HE WAS OKAY WITH IT.
HE KNEW AND HE EVEN ANTICIPATED
IN THAT SPEECH THAT THE
PRESIDENT WAS GOING TO COME
RIGHT AFTER HIM.
HIS ALLIES COME RIGHT AFTER HIM.
HE KNOWS WHAT KIND OF NOISE THIS
IS GOING TO MAKE, WHAT DUST THIS
IS GOING TO KICK UP YET HE DID
IT ANYWAY.
IT ANYWAY. AND I THINK HE’S PREPARED I
THINK LIKE HE SAID FOR THE
JUDGMENT OF HISTORY, THE
JUDGMENT OF HIS FAITH, AND YOU
KNOW, EVENTUALLY THIS WILL
SUBSIDE AND I THINK HE WILL BE
REMEMBERED MORE FOR THIS THAN
PERHAPS ANYTHING HE’S EVER DONE
IN HIS POLITICAL CAREER EXCEPT
MAYBE LOSING THE PRESIDENCY IN
2012.
2012. >> MIKA, YOU AND I HAVE KNOWN
MITT FOR A LONG TIME AND ALWAYS
HAD SUCH GREAT RESPECT FOR HIM.
ONE OF THE THINGS, THOUGH, THAT
I’VE ALWAYS NOTICED AK HIM,BOUT
AND OUR PERSONALITY ARES VERY
DIFFERENT IN MANY WAYS, BUT IN
ONE PARTICULAR WAY HE’S
MATTINGLY CAUTIOUS, AND HE
ESPECIALLY
ESPECIALLY ESPECIALLY -- MADDINGLY
CAUTIOUS.
CAUTIOUS. TAKES THE CALCULATED ROUTE.
IT IS WHO HE IS.
LIKE THE GUY WHO JUMPS OFF THE
CLIFF AND SAYS I’LL FIGURE OUT
HOW TO MAKE THE PARACHUTE ON THE
WAY DOWN.
WAY DOWN. FASCINATING ABOUT THE TIMES WE
LIVE IN.
LIVE IN. THE OTHER PERSON MADDINGILY
CAUTIOUS THROUGH THE YEARS, MIKE
BLOOMBERG.
BLOOMBERG. WHY?
WHY? THEY’RE BOTH DATA GUYS.
THEY’RE BOTH GUYS THAT SIT IN
FRONT OF COMPUTER SCREENS AND
LOOK AT THE DATA.
MAKE THE WISEST, MOST CALCULATED
MOVE, AND YET IN THE AGE OF
TRUMP, THEY HAVE DECIDED TO GO
AGAINST THE ODDS FOR THE FIRST
TIME IN THEIR LIFE.
TO TAKE CHANCES.
TO THROW CAUTION TO THE WIND
SIMPLY BECAUSE OF AN INNER
VOICE.
VOICE. IN MITT’S CASE, BECAUSE OF A
HIGHER CALLING.
HIGHER CALLING. BECAUSE OF AN OATH TO GOD.
AND THAT’S WHAT’S DIFFERENT.
DIFFERENT ABOUT THESE TIMES.
YES, WE SEE A LOT OF PEOPLE
ACTING WORSE.
ACTING WORSE. BUT MIKA, IN THIS CASE, YOU SEE
SOME PEOPLE ACTUALLY TAKING