The Late Show With Mitt Romney

Having observed many political campaigns and having worked on a few - mostly losing ones - I've noticed a trend. Following a candidate's concession speech, you always seem to hear people say, "If only he had been more like that during the campaign, he would have won."

Sometimes you'll hear this because in the moments following the realization that one has lost, all the tension, stress and pretensions are gone and a candidate can be himself once again.

In other cases, you hear this said by people who really haven't paid all that much attention, but want others to think that they have. Usually, these are reporters who think they know a candidate inside and out from a couple short interviews, but realize after seeing a more full example of the person that their analysis was a pretty shallow one.

I mention this now - when it looks like a "loser" won't be named in the Democratic race for a while still - because I heard that statement made in regard to Mitt Romney when he withdrew from the race for the Republican nomination. I also mention it because his very funny performance this week before the audience at the annual Radio Television Correspondents Association Dinner certainly gives the impression that the stress is gone and the good humor is shining through.

How ironic that it's before a room full of reporters who claim to have known him inside and out and spent a lot of time trying to convince their readers, viewers and listeners that they in fact really did.

Really, this is worth watching.