Mark Levin is defending Mitt Romney’s refusal to release his tax returns, and he’s right for a couple of reasons. First, if Obama had been entirely transparent (read: college transcripts and Fast and Furious, to name two), then Romney should play by the same rules. But Obama’s murky academic past remains murky, and his administration’s lack of transparency has been astounding.
Second, if Romney releases his tax records, they will be descended upon by a pack of hyenas disguised as CPAs and a mischief of rats disguised as political consultants. The benign will be presented as malignant by liars. The cost of enabling liars is higher than the cost of the status quo.
Third, and perhaps most of all, Romney should resist release to prove he knows how to fight like his enemies do, not like his friends don’t. Savor this gem: “In all likelihood, he won’t be able to maintain a position that looks secretive and is a departure from campaign conventions.”
Really? Says who? The New York Times? The Chattering Class? Perhaps Peggy Noonan?
Enough already. Enough with “all likelihood” equivocation and highbrow invocation of “campaign conventions.” The Left knows how to brawl. The Left knows how to create new “campaign conventions” from scratch. It’s time that conservatives recognize that the rules they thought governed campaigns in 1992 no longer apply. This crowd we are up against has rewritten the book on governance, on politics, on convention, all in the name of rewriting the book on America.
Romney can show he understands what he is up against by ignoring the debating society on the right. He should roll up his sleeves and swing. He should release his tax returns after Obama releases his academic records and Holder releases Fast and Furious documents to Chairman Issa — and plainly say so.
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