Peggy Noonan: Romney Campaign 'Incompetent,' Needs 'Intervention'

Conservative columnist Peggy Noonan denounced Mitt Romney's presidential campaign in a blistering blog post on Tuesday.

Noonan, who has been increasingly agitated over the GOP candidate's missteps --notably saying she thought he "looks like Richard Nixon" -- used the scandal over Romney's comments about the "47 percent" to give him a talking-to.

Speaking about Romney's leaked fundraiser video, she wrote, "This is not how big leaders talk, it's how shallow campaign operatives talk."

Noonan said that the misstep was indicative of a broader rot within the campaign:

It's time to admit the Romney campaign is an incompetent one. It's not big, it's not brave, it's not thoughtfully tackling great issues. It's always been too small for the moment. All the activists, party supporters and big donors should be pushing for change. People want to focus on who at the top is least constructive and most responsible. Fine, but Mitt Romney is no puppet: He chooses who to listen to. An intervention is in order. "Mitt, this isn't working."

Noonan's column drew attention because of her stature and because of its vehemence, but she is not speaking for a unanimous bloc of conservatives. While many on the right have joined the broader consensus that the leaked video was a "disaster" for Romney, many others have praised the sentiments he expressed and advised him to make them a core component of his message. Romney appears to have taken that advice for the time being.