Republicans and Conservate Leaders demand Romney release his tax returns

[Riot]

Interesting take by Howard Fineman on why the GOP is turning on Mitt Romney:

WASHINGTON -- Months after he mathematically locked up the Republican presidential nomination, Mitt Romney remains a political hairball that GOP insiders -- conservative and otherwise -- wish they could cough up before the convention in Tampa, Fla., next month.

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That is the real, unspoken political meaning behind the remarkable, rising chorus of [ GOP ] voices calling on the presumptive party nominee to release more of his federal tax returns to the public.

"The fact is, no one likes the guy or believes in him," said the campaign manager for a former Romney rival, who declined to be quoted by name because his former boss is on record supporting Romney's campaign against incumbent President Barack Obama.

"Look back at our 2008 primaries," he said. "Who did all the other candidates dislike? Romney. Look at this year. Who did all the other candidates dislike? Romney. No one wants Obama to win, but no one likes the guy who is running against him."

Republican leaders, especially conservatives, see Romney as a malleable, cynical power-grabber without principle or compass.

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Over the last week, a disparate array of Republican and conservative leaders have called on Romney to do what he is clearly loathe to do: release several years if not a decade or more of his federal tax returns. It is an unspoken form of payback.

The list [ demanding payback ] is not only a veritable who's who of the party, but a not-so-subtle roster of people who opposed Romney for the presidential nomination. That they have not fallen in line behind Romney's stonewalling is a telling sign.

Continued http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0...n_1681636.html