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The meaning of what is what saw who? Where?

I’ve noted Romney reminds me of Clinton. I couldn’t exactly put into words how or why, he just does. Now we have a tiny example of exactly how Clintonian Romney really is.

There’s been a bit of an understandable kerfuffle about Romney mentioning his father marching with Martin Luther King, Jr. The problem is, the elder Romney never did. Romney explained the fantasy faux pas that he was speaking “figuratively, not literally” about “seeing” his father march with King. The problem with his initial claim is the fact that Mitt Romney was in France doing missionary work during King’s appearance in Detroit, the same appearance Romney claims his father “marched” in. Still, Romney is sticking by his claim that his father did indeed march with King, despite no record of that fact.

Romney sticks to belief in King, dad

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said Thursday he was speaking figuratively when he said he had seen his father, former Michigan Gov. George Romney, march in civil rights demonstrations with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

But he indicated that he still believes his father, widely acknowledged as an advocate for an end to discrimination against African Americans, marched with King, even though witness accounts and reports in Free Press archives appear to contradict that claim.

Romney addressed the issue while campaigning in Iowa after news reports challenged his assertion in a speech Dec. 6 and subsequent interviews that he had seen his father march with King.

Asked about the reports, Romney said: “My own eyes? You know, I speak in the sense of I saw my dad become president of American Motors. I wasn’t actually there when he became president of American Motors, but I saw him in the figurative sense of he marched with Martin Luther King.

“My brother also remembers him marching with Martin Luther King, and so in that sense I saw him march with Martin Luther King.”

Fascinatingly, Mitt Romney admits he can “see” things he wishes were the case. Well, let’s try that. I see myself as a friend of Marilyn Monroe, a lunch buddy of Ayn Rand, and adviser to Margaret Thatcher. I also saw, or maybe dreamed, of playing tennis with Garbo and flying around with Howard Hughes.

Yeah, I saw myself doing all those things, so it must make it true! I like this game!

But it doesn’t end here. In 1978, Mitt Romney made an even wilder claim about marching with MLK which was finally completely denied by the Romney campaign. That story? He and his father marched with King in Detroit. Both of them. When Mitt was on another continent. So the story essentially has morphed from Mitt actually doing the marching to Mitt “seeing” it. Somehow. Oh, wait, he now explains how…using the dictionary to define what the meaning of “saw” is. (HT Hot Air).

“If you look at the literature, if you look at the dictionary, the term ‘saw’ includes being aware of in the sense I’ve described,” Romney told reporters in Iowa. “It’s a figure of speech and very familiar, and it’s very common. And I saw my dad march with Martin Luther King. I did not see it with my own eyes, but I saw him in the sense of being aware of his participation in that great effort.”

I think the Clintons may have just sent him a congratulations note after that absolutely monumental Tribute to Bill. We now must ask ourselves when it comes to whatever else this man might say, exactly what can we believe, and how seriously does this man take reality?

Fan-effing-tastic job.

UPDATE:

Apart from the Mitt Romney’s use of the word “saw,” HawaiiBob in Comments brings attention to this piece at the Politico which quotes two people as actually having seen George Romney at a march with MLK. Why no one else seems to remember it, or why the press did not comment on Romney being there, is the question. Keep in mind. At the time this supposed march happened (the event itself most argue never happened) Romney had just come off a failed presidential bid. His presence would have absolutely been noted.