Who does Romney think he's fooling?

So after his thrashing in South Carolina, Romney announced he'll be happy to release his tax returns on Tuesday so everyone will stop talking about it. His use of the plural is somewhat misleading. He's only going to show his 2010 return and an estimate for 2011. Which is good enough for Newt, who says as far as he's concerned, the issue is behind us. However it seems unlikely to shed much light on Willard's finances. Easy enough to sanitize the current returns. And willing to bet a few people might be interested in taking a look at his returns from his prime years at Bain.

Besides, this paltry offering hardly fulfills historic precedent. As Steve Benen notes:

When Barack Obama ran in 2008, he released returns for the previous eight years. When Bill Clinton ran in 1992, he disclosed 12 years. As we were reminded on Thursday night, when George Romney ran, he set “a groundbreaking standard,” releasing 12 years of returns. He said at the time, “One year could be a fluke, perhaps done for show.”

Our man Mittens could take a lesson from his Dad. Granted Papa Romney didn't win, but at least he set a standard for telling the truth. A family legacy that his son now trashes daily with every shameless falsehood he spews on the campaign trail today.

Addendum: Of course, you realize that Tuesday is also when President Obama gives his State of the Union speech. A mere coincidence, I'm sure.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]