I would say the above picture is symbolic of Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign.  Not because he’s sympathetic, kind or compassionate, but because he’s a phony.  You see, that photo-op from last weekend was used by media to show Romney’s empathetic side; that he would take time out of his busy schedule to sit down with 51-year-old unemployed single mom Elizabeth Sachs in her Marshall, Mich. home.

Except, The Politico is now reporting Sachs is in fact the mother of a Romney staffer.

 What wasn’t reported – and what the Romney campaign did not reveal at the time – was that one of Sachs’ sons, Steve Sachs, is a paid employee of Romney’s campaign, organizing five counties in Michigan.

Kevin Madden, Romney’s campaign spokesman, said Sachs “work in the field doesn’t change (his mother’s) situation.”

The campaign did not disclose the relationship, Madden acknowledged. But he added “reporters were given unfettered access to meet with Mrs. Sachs and talk with her when she invited them into her home.” [...]

Ironically, when it came time to take questions from the reporters gathered around Sachs’ kitchen table, Romney joked: “If you don’t want to answer any questions, that’s fine, too. What I’ve learned is, if they ask a question, you can answer something else.”

“Oh, ok,” Sachs responded, laughing along with Romney.

“Just talk about the general subject,” Romney suggested.

Talking to a small handful of reporters after Romney and most of his press pack had left the kitchen, Sachs offered details about her age, job situation, and her effort to sell her home.  [KENNETH P. VOGEL - The Politico]

What’s almost as funny as the fact that this was all a cheap hoax by the Romney camp to drum up support, is the quote by the former Massachusetts governor that, “What I’ve learned is, if they ask a question, you can answer something else.”

That so very true of his campaign.  And it’s true of the way he treats voters.  If they don’t like your stance on a certain issue, you can just tell them you’ve changed your position in the recent weeks/days/hours/minutes.