Der Mittenfuhrer masters hiding from the press and avoiding questions

[Ian David]

Romney masters the slip
As the well-scripted governor prepares to leave office, he is trading in the high media visibility of his early days for a much lower profile

By Scott Helman, Globe Staff | December 15, 2006

For nearly four years, Governor Mitt Romney has dazzled and befuddled Massachusetts with his on-message, scripted style of governing that sought -- and won him -- innumerable headlines and television appearances.

But as Romney prepares to leave office, the once-visible governor has suddenly become much less so: He has entered a brush-past, sorry-got-to- run, talk-to-my-office stage.

Romney has, for the most part, successfully avoided the press in Boston and elsewhere in recent days, even as questions mount about his past comments on gay rights, his conservative credentials, and the timing of his expected announcement about his 2008 presidential run.

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At another point that day, Romney dismissed a Globe reporter's question about how he squared his tough talk on illegal immigration with the fact that the company that landscaped his Belmont home had employed undocumented workers.

"Aw, geez," he said and walked off brusquely.

Even on a softball question the day before -- he was asked to comment on Senate majority leader Bill Frist of Tennessee dropping out of the 2008 presidential race -- Romney wouldn't talk.

More:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles...