THE HUMAN BABY BIRDS ON THE BUS

Politico's article on Mitt Romney's wife, Ann, is full of tortured logic from Romney spinmeisters....

"She's terribly important in that she is actually Mitt's connection to the base," said GOP strategist Alex Castellanos, who worked on Romney's 2008 presidential effort. "His link to the base doesn't come from ideology. It comes from family values channeled through Ann. She's the authentic core of Romney’s conservative principles."

... and assertions of "fact" that were clearly the product of intense focus-grouping....

She routinely sits in on strategy sessions -- but saves her suggestions for private conversations with senior staff or her husband.

But the most absurd part of the article is its central premise:

Ann Romney's unexpected rock star status has the political arena buzzing about how her husband's campaign will leverage her popularity....

"Unexpected rock star status"? On what planet? Look -- she might be good, she might go over reasonably well with campaign crowds, but she's not a rock star. She's not even a cult rock star. And she's certainly not helping Romney win over women in the general electorate.

But insider campaign journalism isn't journalism -- it's rewritten campaign spin. Campaigns masticate the stories the way Alicia Silverstone chews her baby's food. Silverstone passes the pre-chewed food on to her child; the campaigns pass the pre-chewed stories on to the boys and girls on the bus.

Silverstone's baby is probably more likely to put up a fuss at this procedure. The press just takes what it gets.