Very clever, Harry. Very clever, indeed.

I think that all this fuss about Harry Reid saying "his Dad would be ashamed" is missing the point. The Romney Campaign reaction has been a trifle odd - while it's mostly been concentrated on the allegation that Mittens might not have paid any taxes for a decade or so, they've also been quite keen to distract from it. Well, they've faced up to the charge and are now saying "put up or shut up" - which is a bit pointless, because Harry Reid has nothing to lose in this battle. And as CNN's Dana Bash notes, when Harry doesn't like you - he goes for your jugular. (Metaphorically. ... I think.)

(Dana Bash is very credible journalist, who has covered Washington for years.)

And Harry Reid really doesn't like Mitt Romney.

But I also think Harry was doing something else. I think the second part of his statement - the "Dad bit - was aimed at a different audience. Harry, you see, is also a Mormon. And I think he was doing a bit of dog-whistle politicking*. Like The Shrub used to do. Mormonism is a very patriarchal society, you see.

* The words either mean something else, or have very little meaning for the uninitiated audience. But for the intended audience - the words mean a lot.

I think Mittens knows what Harry was doing. And was disconcerted by it. Never get on the wrong side of Harry. That's all I can say. :-)

Cynically, perhaps,
Carolyn Ann