No, no, no, he says, Mitt Romney isn’t running for president.

Though, of course, he’s been on the Hugh Hewitt show recently and been boxed into the “running corner” by Mr Hewitt himself — and somewhat embarrassingly so.  At the conclusion of that radio segment, I thought Mr Romney had made things pretty clear: he isn’t running for president.

Then there’s this, from the WeeklyStandard.com:

Romney: ‘No Question’ I’d Be a Better President Than Hillary

by Daniel Halper

This morning on Fox News Sunday, former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said there’s “no question” that he’d be a better president than Hillary Clinton.

“You mentioned Hillary Clinton,” said host Chris Wallace. “Do you think you’d make a better president than Hillary Clinton?”

“No question about that, in my mind,” Romney said. “The American people may disagree with me. You’ve got to get this economy going. You have to have people who understand what it takes to create jobs and to help people come out of poverty, to help the middle class have a better and more prosperous future. You’ve got to have that understanding.

“You’ve also got to have people who’ve actually run something. The government of the United States is the largest enterprise in the world. You watched a president who just doesn’t understand how to make an administration work, how to interact with Congress, how to get things done.

The intimation being: I do.

From the Wall Street Journal: “Romney on 2016: ‘I’m Not Planning on Running.”

Then why, sir, are you making noise and wasting air as if you might, pray tell?  Why are some in the blogosphere pushing you?

And considering the revelation to his son, Tagg, that Mitt’s heart really wasn’t into running for president back then.

Are you serious?

With that, and your actions (or inactions) during the last campaign, you’re even remotely thinking of expecting me to support you for another run?

Frankly, you’ve proven you don’t have it in you, sir.  I gave Sarah Palin a brief consideration until she excused herself from the governor’s chair and went home.  From that point on she became, to me, no longer viable in any way.  She had no fight.

You, also, proved to me you have no fight.  You were handed any number of select, greasy, tempting, taste-sensational points you could have unleashed upon Mr Obama, but you decided to “play nice” in the octagon.  You don’t play nice in the octagon, sir; you go for the throat and spill blood.  That’s why it’s the octagon and why only those who are willing to shed blood play there and win.

Mr Romney, I’m sure you’re a nice fellow and quite schooled in the business side of the world, but as a presidential candidate — well, I’d rather vote for one of my fellow Sergeants on the night shift, who is infinitely more squared-away than you are, sir.  For one, he’s not a flake.  Secondly, he has more real-world common sense than all of the empty suits and skirts in DC combined.

Either declare or go someplace else, Mr Romney, so you’re not a distraction and I can begin to consider whom I may seriously support for president in 2016.  It won’t be you in any eventuality.

I placed my trust in you only to discover you didn’t even trust yourself.

BZ