A lot of reporters and fact checkers have gotten bamboozled by Mitt Romney’s ‘don’t worry I’ll make it work’ explanation of his tax plan. Now the folks who wrote the non-partisan analysis which caused all the hubbub are responding to Romney’s refusal to admit what his plan does. A few key portions …

Our conclusion was not a prediction about Governor Romney would do as President, it was an arithmetic calculation: all of the promises couldn’t be met simultaneously without resorting to tax increases on households with income below $200,000. … You still can’t drive cross country in 15 hours without speeding.

I am leaving out, of course, the computational arguments. Rather, I’m focusing on the pure up-is-downism the analysts are forced to reply to.

If you care about these things you should take a moment and read Gale’s short piece. If you’re a reporter who doesn’t like being lied to you should definitely read it.