The Phoenix's Adam Reilly is fascinated by how the Boston Globe took a story about how Mitt Romney hosed dog excrement off his station wagon into some kind of profile in courage. Here's the excerpt from the Globe profile Reilly quotes with his emphasis:
As the oldest son, Tagg Romney commandeered the way-back of the wagon, keeping his eyes fixed out the rear window, where he glimpsed the first sign of trouble. "Dad!" he yelled. "Gross!" A brown liquid was dripping down the back window, payback from an Irish setter who'd been riding on the roof in the wind for hours.It is strange that the Globe would pick this anecdote to highlight Romney's coolness under pressure. Still, what I was more struck by was the act of strapping a dog to the roof of your car in the first place, and I'm not the only one. I've never been a dog owner, but I am a frequent driver, and I've never seen roofbound dogs in my travels. Is this a common practice?
As the rest of the boys joined in the howls of disgust, Romney coolly pulled off the highway and into a service station. There, he borrowed a hose, washed down Seamus and the car, then hopped back onto the highway. It was a tiny preview of a trait he would grow famous for in business: emotion-free crisis management. [emph. added]
Update: Romney's Dog Speaks!
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