Mitt Romney's concession speech late Tuesday could not have been better. It could serve as a model, a perfect example, for all future, losing, political candidates.
The Republican presidential standard bearer had kind words for the man who bested him, Barack Obama. And there was sincerity in his voice as he congratulated his opponent, and asked his audience to join him in praying for our reelected president.
Yes, Mitt Romney is a good loser. He is, indeed, a good man. He is, however, a decent man who ran an indecent campaign,
President Obama's reelection team, like all political teams, was no paragon of virtue; but it was angelic in comparison to Romney's.
Mitt Romney's personal side is akin to that of Dr. Jekyll. There, he is the loving family man, the devoted servant of his church, and the generous giver of his time and money.
Mitt Romney's political side, however, is something different -- much different, Here he is more like Mr. Hyde. Here he can be cold, calculating, and sometimes cruel. And those flaws must surely have cost him countless votes, and quite possibly the election.
During his run for The White House, Romney never quite connected with most of the electorate. His demeanor could seldom, if ever, be described as warm and fuzzy. Cold is the more appropriate word.
Cold -- as in the way he described 47 percent of the American people -- not willing to take responsibility for their own lives. Cold -- as in saying "(his) job is not to worry about those people."
Mitt Romney was a calculating candidate throughout his 17 months on the campaign trail. He distorted or stretched the truth in almost every speech -- apparently believing that John Q. Public wouldn't know, or wouldn't care. His team went so far as to say it had no regard for fact-checkers.
Romney infamously lied about a Jeep automobile plant closing, and outsourcing the jobs to China. When called out by the press and the auto company, Romney doubled down on the lie by running a TV ad with the same false information -- calculating that he could get away with it.
There was cruelty in Mitt Romney's campaign modus operandi. He seemed to welcome, and enjoy, disparaging comments about President Obama. He did nothing to discourage the all-too-frequent birther remarks, and he even referred to this disgusting non-issue on at least one occasion himself.
Yes, I believe Mitt Romney is a decent man; but I also believe that he ran an indecent campaign.