OBAMA SHOULD NOW GRACIOUSLY ACCEPT THE ENDORSEMENT

You heard it last night from Mitt Romney:

I congratulate him on -- on taking out Osama bin Laden and going after the leadership in al-Qaida....

No, I believe, as the president indicated and said at the time, that I supported his -- his action there....

But once it exploded, I felt the same as the president did...

Well, first of all, I -- I want to underscore the -- the same point the president made....

I think President Obama should go out on the campaign trail and say something like this:

"You know, I've received a lot of endorsements in this campaign -- but now I've received one that I really didn't expect. So I just want to say: Thank you, Governor Romney. I graciously accept your endorsement of my presidential campaign.

"I've said for years that we shouldn't give a huge tax cut to millionaires and billionaires while cutting education and job training and rebuilding America, and in the first debate Governor Romney said, 'Who, me? I don't want to give rich people a huge tax cut! You must have me confused with some other Mitt Romney! I want to be just like you!' I've said from the start that it was absolutely necessary to save the auto industry, and in the second debate, Governor Romney said, 'I agree with you on that, too, Mr. President.' I've said that I want our troops out of Afghanistan by 2014, and in the last debate, all of a sudden, Governor Romney said, 'I agree with you on that, Mr. President. And on your Al Qaeda policy, and on Syria and Pakistan and Israel. You have a terrific foreign policy, Mr. President -- I'd barely change a thing.'

"Well, thank you, Governor Romney. I'm honored by your endorsement. And I promise to work hard every day in my second term to live up to your principles -- which now, apparently, are exactly the same as mine."

Maybe if he started saying this, and the message caught on, Romney's Obama-hating base would begin to doubt that a vote for Romney is worth it. Maybe, to all voters, it would make Romney seem pathetic and craven and weak. Maybe Romney would turn back into Right-Wing Mitt, just to accentuate the differences. What do you think?

I'd also do a highlight reel of Romney agreements and put it out as an ad, or at least a Web ad. Try to make that the conventional-wisdom story of the third debate, not "Romney demonstrated adequate credibility, he won the debate season, so move along, nothing to see here in Debate #3."

AND: Try this as a catchphrase: "Me-Too Mitt." Maybe send Biden out there to call Romney that. "Every time the president's policies were mentioned, there was the governor, saying, 'Me too! Me too! Me too!'"