The campaign kicked off the day with a memorandum entitled "Unanswered Questions About Mitt Romney's 'Retroactive Retirement.'" It's intended to create even more doubts about Romney's tenure at Bain Capital, which he either left in 1999 or 2002, depending on your interpretation.
With Romney on the defensive over his lucrative business career and still refusing to release his tax returns from that time, the Obama camp clearly thinks there is more to gain from going on the attack. To date, however, national and key state polls remain virtually deadlocked.
Our in-box contained this little missive from campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt:
While Romney has repeatedly tried to distance himself from Bain's decisions after February 1999, he has also hypocritically taken credit for jobs created well after the 1999 end date that he cites. He can't have it both ways.
If Romney followed decades of precedent set in motion by his father, who released 12 years of tax returns, as well as the minutes from Bain Capital board meetings, the American people could finally learn to what extent Mitt Romney was involved with the actions at Bain Capital following 1999.
This week, Mitt Romney has the opportunity to provide a full accounting of his tenure at Bain Capital, the central premise of his campaign and the opportunity to demonstrate whether or not he was the job creator he claims to be.
The president, meanwhile, hasn't exactly kept above the fray. He has taken every opportunity to echo his campaign's criticism, though in more veiled tones. And today, he'll open himself up to questions from an audience in Cincinnati -- whose most prominent politician is the Republican speaker of the House.
The town hall-style event at Cincinnati Music Hall is one of two campaign events in Boehner's backyard during a 5 1/2-hour stop that will enable Obama to get back home in time for a more laid-back evening: watching basketball.
The president and Vice President Biden will attend the U.S. men's and women's Olympic basketball teams' exhibition games against Brazil at the Verizon Center, just blocks from the White House.
