Mitt's Muskie Moment

Presidential candidates shouldn't cry on TV - ever:

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” today that he wept with relief when the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the Mormons, announced a 1978 revelation that the priesthood would no longer be denied to persons of African descent.

Romney's eyes appeared to fill with tears as he discussed the emotional subject during a high-stakes appearance that he handled with no major blunders.

“I was anxious to see a change in my church,” said the Republican presidential candidate, appearing for the full hour just two weeks ahead of the crucial Iowa caucuses.

“I can remember when I heard about the change being made. I was driving home from – I think it was law school, but I was driving home – going through the Fresh Pond rotary in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I heard it on the radio and I pulled over and literally wept.

“Even to this day, it’s emotional,” Romney went on.

You can't quite compare this to Ed Muskie's tears over press attacks on his wife, but still I don't think it benefits a candidate to be tearing up on TV. And I'm not sure tearing up over this issue really makes sense. It sounds more like a made-for-TV moment.