Betting against America: Debbie Wasserman Schultz is no Mitt Romney

By Michael J.W. Stickings

Well, you knew this was coming.

With the narrative turning against Mitt Romney now that the Obama campaign has started defining him, specifically as the narrative relates to his work at Bain Capital and his tax shelters in Switzerland and the Caymans, Republicans are circling the wagons in a concerted effort to defend him from any and all criticism regarding his money -- how he made it, where he put it, and what he's done with it.

They are already saying, in the face of the evidence, that allegations he was involved in outsourcing jobs while at Bain are lies, and while they can't say he hasn't parked his money in offshore accounts, they are now trying to turn that issue around on Democrats, at least by making the case they they all do it so who cares.

The Romney campaign is tackling the first of these, what with polls showing the Obama campaign's efforts are working. As for the second, it seems to be falling to surrogates like The Weekly Standard, where Daniel Halper reported yesterday, without concealing his back-patting glee, that -- oh my god! -- Democrats have foreign investments too! Well, really just one Democrats in this case, namely DNC Chair and Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who "previously held funds with investments in Swiss banks, foreign drug companies, and the state bank of India."

"The revelation," Halper adds, seemingly without breath, "comes mere days after the Democratic chair attacked presumptive Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney for holding money in Swiss bank accounts in the past... The hypocrisy... is clear: The Democrats, as well as President Obama, hope to paint Romney as an out of touch man for holding money in overseas bank accounts, when in reality their own chairman, Wasserman Schultz, had overseas investments."

Well... game, set, and match, right? Er, not so fast.

First, Schultz "previously held funds." In other words, in the past. Romney has money in offshore accounts right now.

Second, Schultz's investments are meager compared to Romney's massive wealth.

Third, investing in funds that in turn make foreign investments (in reputable banks and corporations like HSBC and Volkswagen) isn't the same as parking your money in offshore tax shelters and then refusing to disclose your tax returns.

Fourth, Schultz isn't running for president.

That's checkmate, morons. Want to try again to defend the indefensible?

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