In addition to the fresh and disturbing evidence that Romney remains a constant work in progress, one wonders how dumb he thinks Americans are. In an age when a casually shared shirtless photograph can trigger a media brushfire and an instant resignation from Congress, did Romney really think he could get away with this auto-revisionism without observers noticing it, and the commentariat sharing the news with GOP primary voters from coast to coast?

This little episode proves that Romney is less tethered than a soccer ball at the World Cup. He bounces around, not thanks to his own compass, but in reaction to forces that encircle him — first and foremost what he thinks the next election’s voters want to hear.