In a national poll released on Tuesday, CNN did ask whether people trusted Obama or Romney more to “manage the government effectively”; 46 percent chose Obama while 38 percent opted for Romney.

Romney will, undoubtedly, spend most of his time between now and November making the case that he is the ultimate turnaround artist (Winter Olympics, Bain etc) and that the last four years have made clear that President Obama lacks the experience to make the economy work again.

Competence is at the core of that argument. If Romney can use the GSA and Secret Service scandals to erode confidence in Obama’s ability to competently manage the affairs of the federal government — the most basic task of any president — his challenge of unseating the incumbent becomes considerably easier.