Mitt Romney's more casual wardrobe, focus on the economy, and refusal to apologize for RomneyCare seems to have impressed Bill Clinton, who talked about the 2012 field today in an interview airing on ABC today.
"Governor Romney's doing a better job as a candidate this time than he did four years ago.
He comes across as more relaxed and more convicted about what he did do. Less willing to just be forced into apologizing for it [health care]."
He also called Jon Huntsman "impressive."
"I think he's quite an impressive man. He's refreshingly, kind of, unhide-bound, comes across as non-ideological -- conservative, but non-ideological. Practical."
And acknowledged Michele Bachmann's appeal.
"I'm not surprised by how well Michele Bachmann's done. I've been watching her speak. She comes across as a real person. All those foster children she's taken in, the children who she's raised, the work she's done."
Clinton's always been a keen observer of GOP political talent. During 2008's campaign, he often praised Mike Huckabee's connection to voters.
In fact, on that score, he was more attuned than most the GOP establishment, which seemed to hope that ignoring Huck would make him go away.
Clinton's comments today come 4:10 in, via ABC.
