June 30, 2007 7:28 PM

Top dog, taxing questions

UPDATED doggone it, HERE And, as some have pointed out, there's a Seamus joke in here somewhere. What's your punch line?

Former Gov. Mitt Romney

Being a presidential front-runner is like being the tallest guy in a foxhole.

You're the fellow who's likely to get the most pot shots.

Former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney learned that in Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday, when he appeared at a forum with five, second-tier Republican contenders for the first time since former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Sen. John McCain of Arizona pulled out of the race for August's symbolic Ames Straw Poll and left him as the last flak-catcher standing in the Iowa's top tier.

The event was co-sponsored by Iowans for Tax Relief and the Iowa Christian Alliance, so Romney and all the others -- former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, former Ark. Gov. Mike Huckabee, Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas, Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado and Rep. Duncan Hunter of California -- all did their best to weave together fiscal conservative and family values themes.

For example, one minute Brownback was talking about his "Sunday school values," and the next he was hauling out the thick volumes of the U.S. tax code, saying they should be taken behind the barn and killed with a dull ax.

But the tax code wasn't the only thing taking a verbal beating on Saturday.

Talking about his opposition to abortion, Thompson said "I didn't become 'right to life' on the road to Des Moines."

It was an obvious dig at Romney, who repeatedly has explained how he once supported abortion rights until just the past few years.

Likewise, when Huckabee, a Baptist minister turned politician, was giving the audience his own version of respecting all human life from the womb to the grave, he made sure to point out that, "I did not become pro-life because of politics."

Again, it could be seen as a jab at you-know-who.

Tancredo used a similar "road to Des Moines" line to refer to those he says are only pretending to share his tough stance against illegal immigration. In interviews, Tancredo said he is referring to various candidates, but most of all Romney.

Romney's campaign literature talks so tough against "amnesty" for illegal immigrants, that, "You could take Romney off, put Tancredo on, you'd never know. You'd also never know that a year ago he was supporting McCain-Kennedy," Tancredo said, referring to the original version of comprehensive immigration reform legislation that failed in the U.S. Senate last week.

Romney wasn't on stage to feel the heat, but he did get it later under the bright lights of an after-action press conference. While only a handful of reporters bothered to show up for other candidates, he got a full house wanting to ask about his Mormon faith, his views on taxes and even about a recent controversy over the way he treats his family dog.

Romney seemed to take all the extra attention in stride, sticking to his "three-legged stool" theme that the United States needs a strong military, strong economy and strong families.

On one of the night's big themes, taxes, he bragged about signing a written pledge never to support tax increases and he said he'd fight to preserve President Bush's tax cuts -- which are set to expire in 2010. But he even faced a tough question on a popular proposal among audience members: the so-called "Fair Tax."

The plan would scrap all income and payroll taxes and replace them with a nationwide sales tax, or "consumption" tax. Though the "Fair Tax" gets less attention than issues like Iraq, terrorism, immigration and health care, it's a popular cause in some conservative circles.

On stage, Romney said he and his staff had not fully "vetted" the issue to take a definitive stand. But in a press conference he made it clear it would not be part of his platform. Romney's concerns:

"There's the normal assessment of what kind of impact it would have on economic growth, what kind of impact it would have on families, on homeownership and the like, (and) what the actual consumption tax rate would be. There are a wide range of estimates as to what the figure would be. And so, those kinds of things have to be reviewed."

As for the questions about his religion -- not to mention the questions about the top dog's top dog -- Romney told reporters:

"All questions are fair questions in America."

YET ANOTHER UPDATE: Check out this thorough and very amusing coverage of the event from an Alan Keyes fan who found himself leading a merry band of Ron Paul disciples. CLICK HERE.

Posted by M.E. Sprengelmeyer at 7:28 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack