Clinton Attacks Romney as ‘Sterling’

John Slattery as Roger Sterling

WASHINGTON -- In the latest example of Bill Clinton’s political cunning and the kind of thinking that’s made him the go-to guru for Democratic candidates, the former U.S. President today described former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney as “sterling” — thus insidiously linking the presumptive Republican presidential nominee with the ethically challenged characters of TV’s Mad Men.

Romney had “a sterling business career,” Clinton told an interviewer on CNN.

“This is absolutely devastating,” political analyst and TV critic Philo Farnsworth told reporters. “Who uses that word, except when they’re talking about Mad Men? In a single phrase, Clinton reminded voters of all the reasons they find Mitt Romney creepy and definitely not trustworthy.

Romney with colleagues at Bain Capital.

“While seeming to contradict President Obama’s harsh criticism of Romney’s business record,” Farnsworth continued, “Mr. Clinton has in fact done the President’s reelection campaign a huge favor.”

Later, former President Clinton was overheard to say that “Ann Romney’s got a strong soprano,” a remark that Washington insiders widely interpreted not as an assessment of the candidate’s wife’s singing voice but an attempt to link her with the unsavory Mafia family depicted in the groundbreaking HBO series.