If you needed further proof that Harry Reid's claim that Mitt Romney paid no income tax for a decade is causing a massive freakout in the GOP ranks, you needed to look no further than the Sunday talk news shows. All across the board today you had one GOP surrogate after another attacking Reid and defending Romney and in the process sounding more like a bunch of crabby junior high boys.
You want a summary? Talking Points Memo has all the goodies and some video to boot. Here's ABC's This Week:
On ABC's "This Week," an incensed Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus called Reid a "dirty liar," saying he "complains about people with money but lives in the Ritz Carlton here down the street."
"It's ridiculous, it's wrong, it's untrue and it's just going to hurt the president," he said of the claim, accusing President Obama of inciting "division and hatred."
Um, two things, Mr. Priebus. One, why are you so concerned for Obama? Doesn't anything that hurts him help you? And two, it's really rich of you to accuse anyone of inciting "division and hatred." Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.
But you think Priebus was over the top, see what Lindsey Graham had to say.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said Reid's accusation "is so out of bounds."
"I think he's lying about his statement - knowing something about Romney's [taxes]," Graham said on CNN's "State of the Union." "I think he's created an issue here. I think he's making things up at a time when the country is just about to fall apart."
"The country is just about to fall apart?" Great optimism there, Senator Cassandra. Are you sure you're not just referring to Mitt's presidential hopes?
And not to be outdone:
On CBS' "Face the Nation," Virginia's Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell called Reid's charge "reckless and slanderous."
Ooooh, sounds like someone still wants to be your running mate, Mitt!
Here's my question for these three; how do you know Reid is lying? Have you seen Romney's tax returns? And if you have seen them, why can't we see them too?
To be fair, there was some sanity to be seen from the GOP ranks and it came, from all places, from Fox News Sunday, where Ed Rollins joined the ever growing chorus of Republicans who just want Mitt to release the damn returns already.
ED ROLLINS: I think at this point in time it's going to dog him all the way and he needs to get it behind him. He paid a lot of money in taxes. He's made a lot of money.
CHRIS WALLACE: Wait, do you think he should release more taxes?
ROLLLINS: I think he should release his taxes.
WALLACE: Really, you know it's not going to satisfy the Democrats. Thy're going to look at it and obviously there are shelters in there, perfectly legal shelters.
ROLLINS: At the end of the day, you come to a point where you give them a little more and you move forward. Two years is not enough, obviously.
Nice to see at least one rational grownup from the GOP side today. Not that Mitt will listen.
And to their credit, the Obama reps on the Sunday shows didn't apologize or repudiate Reid's claims, but only kept up the pressure on Romney to release the damn returns already. This in particular is priceless:
"We could put all this stuff to rest tomorrow. Mitt Romney can go to Kinkos, he can photocopy his tax returns," said Obama campaign senior advisor Robert Gibbs on CNN's "State of the Union. "He can hand them out to people like CNN. He can hand them out to reporters all over the country."
Sorry, GOP. Reid is not going to stop. Obama and his campaign are no going to let this up. And you can whine, scream and stamp your feet all you want, but it won't make this go away. There is only one thing that can and Rollins knows it.
Release the damn returns, Mitt.