Victor Davis Hanson: Romney fights back

Writing for National Review Online this morning, Victor Davis Hanson looks at Mitt Romney's penchant for fighting back, something that John McCain wouldn't do four years ago.

For instance...

Apparently, each time Obama issues a ‘"How dare you?" Romney is not going to point fingers at his own backers, but rather will fire back with a "How dare you dare me?"

And...

But the real significance of firing back is not just to balance impressions with the general public or to warn Team Obama of the boomerang effect each time they offer up a new diversion. Instead, it is to remind the Republican base that Romney intends to go all out, and would rather win a bloody fight than lose in noble aloofness.

And finally....

In other words, Romney would prefer winning in 2012 to being praised by liberals in 2016 for running a model, but losing, campaign That fact alone — not litmus tests of his conservatism or assessments of his style — will be the dominating factor in the Romney campaign, and it will make 2012 quite unlike 2008.

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