Maureen Dowd at The New York Times sharpened her claws and went after Mitt Romney yesterday. If you haven’t had enough of that sort of thing already, you might enjoy her piece. It includes a pretty good summation of both Mitt the Man and Mitt the Twit. Actually, there isn’t much difference. Check out “Mitt’s Olympic Meddle.“

Even though the Mormon doesn’t drink coffee, he has measured out his life in coffee spoons, limiting access to reporters, giving interviews mostly to Fox News, hiding personal data, resisting putting out concrete policy proposals, refusing to release tax returns, trimming his conscience to match the moment, avoiding spontaneity….

The alarming thing about Romney is that he has been running for president for years, but he still doesn’t know how to read a room. He doesn’t take anything in, he just puts it out. He doesn’t hear himself the way the rest of us hear him.

In the Mitt-sphere, populated by his shiny white family, the Mormon Church and a narrow, homogenous inner circle, Romney’s image of himself as wise, caring, smart and capable is relentlessly reinforced. That leaves him constantly surprised that other people don’t love what he is saying.

Writing like that is priceless. Kudos for the clever headline, too.