MARK KARLIN, EDITOR OF BUZZFLASH AT TRUTHOUT



In a videotape posted on YouTube on May 15 of this year, Mitt Romney is seen at a public event talking about alternative energy (which the Republicans in Congress have done everything possible to prevent). In the midst of some spaghetti on the wall ideas about new energy sources, Romney gives a hat tip to Hitler (about 42 seconds into the tape):

Liquified Gas. Gosh, [with an emphatic emphasis] Hitler during the Second War I guess, because he was concerned about losing his oil, liquefied coal. That technology is still there. I'm told the Chinese are building five liquefied coal plants right now.

Okay, Romney didn't endorse Mein Kampf, and Hitler was mentioned in passing, but like the secretly taped "47 percent" statement, his remark about the Fuhrer's accomplishment was made with the sort of passion you don't normally hear from the former governor. No, he wasn't saying Hitler was a good man or supporting the Third Reich, nothing like that. But Romney's tone had the ring of admiration for Hitler as an innovator, perhaps someone we should emulate in the energy area.

There aren't many presidential candidates we can recall who look to Hitler for ideas -- or at least they would not publicly admit that they admire some of the technological research of the Nazi regime. It's just bad politics.



And in the chronic tone deaf fashion that we have come to know from Romney, he doesn't offer a qualifying remark, such as, "as demonic and evil as he [Hitler] was." No, Romney just tosses him in with other people and nations he would borrow energy ideas from.

What to make of Romney's hat tip to Hitler?

It's another indication that he is chronically clueless as to the context of his statements. He has a peripheral vision that no glasses can likely cure, because it is a mental outlook that is born of a bubble – and an inoculation from the world outside of his lavish wealth born of vulture capitalism and a privileged upbringing.

We would love to see Romney mention Hitler's name with such fervor at a Jewish Federation seniors complex in Miami Beach.

That would certainly kiss Florida goodbye for the Romney-Ryan ticket.

Note: a BuzzFlash hat tip to BuzzFeed.

