Well, That Was Awkward. [Politics]

(Brian Snyder - Reuters)

What subway travel is to "snot rockets," apparently elections are to breakfast. Or maybe that just applies to Mitt Romney.

Seems Mitt Romney, trawling for votes in a New Hampshire restaurant, approached a married couple eating their breakfast to ask for their support. Mitt, Mitt, Mitt. Are you serious? If any meal should be safe from politicians made voracious by the blood frenzy of election season, it should be breakfast, the most important meal of the day.

Anyhoo, Romney slid into the booth next to one Bob Garon, Vietnam veteran, ostensibly to ask him about his service. But Garon had a question for him--did the Governor support repeal of same-sex marriage in New Hampshire? When Romney said yes, he did, Garon responded by introducing his husband of five months, Bob Lemire. Awkward.

We're actually not sure what's worse--that Romney interrupted a couple's breakfast for a photo op, or that it apparently never occurred to him that this scenario, two men sitting at a table for two, might even be a breakfast date. But then the candidate did something either truly stupid or weirdly admirable: He doubled down:

Garon, who is gay and was seated with his husband, Bob Lemire, then said to Romney: "It's good to know how you feel, that you do not believe everyone is entitled to their constitutional rights."

Romney replied: "Actually, I think at the time the Constitution was written marriage was between a man and a woman and I don't believe the Supreme Court has changed that."

Yep. Oh-yes-he-did.

What happened here? Perhaps the newly-installed chip in Mitt Romney's head, the "SafeCall 2000," shorted out when confronted with Garon's "Vietnam Veteran" hat. You know, because war heroes don't hold hands with other men. Or maybe Romney is actually having second thoughts about this whole inevitable Republican presidential nominee thing. This becomes especially plausible in the context of Romney's attempt to bet Rick Perry $10,000 during Saturday night's debate:

We're not sure exactly what Romney was betting on, but nothing says "regular guy" like a casually tossed-off wager of what for many people is easily half a year's salary.

At this point, Mitt Romney is sounding less and less like Ronald Reagan, and more and more like *gasp* John Kerry. Hell, even John Kerry called him a flip-flopper to Don Imus' face. Romney's only hope--assuming he is unsuccessful in his bid to derail his own candidacy--may be that Barack Obama is no Dubya Bush.