Robot Mitt Romney tries so hard to make jokes. But human jokes are hard -- especially the ones about sex. This summer, Romney annoyed a New Hampshire waitress when he was posing with her for a photo and pretended she pinched his butt. In June, at a restaurant with no male waiters, he noted the long skirts the waitresses were wearing and said "Oh, this is the Hooters equivalent." In August, Romney talked to a male supporter, and then noticed his girlfriend standing next to him. "Nice choice," the candidate said. Today, we have Romney just asking a normal guy a normal question: "Is this your wife? Mind if I put my arm around her?"

Fox News chief Roger Ailes reportedly told Romney he needed to loosen up on the campaign trail. It looks like Ailes should have given him more detailed advice on how to do that.

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Elspeth Reeve