My Twitter buddy Josh Rogin wrote a great piece for ForeignPolicy.com, and it’s chock full o’ fun. He describes his interviews with a few Republican senators and how they are looking for the best way to explain their candidate’s credentials to be commander-in-chief, and failing miserably:

The answers ranged from the fact that he led the state national guard as governor of Massachusetts to his extensive travel abroad to his two years as a missionary in France and his all-around management ability.

No seriously, they did. Josh isn’t kidding. Those are the straws at which Republicans are grasping, listing his time as a missionary in France as a bona fide credential. Oui, la France!

The missionaries said Romney spent most of his time in France in a Paris mansion that some described as a “palace.” It featured a cook, a servant, stained glass windows and expensive art, and later became an embassy.

If that’s all it takes, I’m qualified to be commander in chief, too, if you consider an average hotel, no servants, and no hoity toity amenities equivalent to a fancy schmancy palace with a private staff.

But back to Josh’s piece. You “gotta hear this”:

When The Cable asked that question to Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) in the elevator, who was standing alongside Sen. Al Franken (D-MN), Franken started laughing and said, “I gotta hear this.” Johnson is in charge of coordinating policy and messaging between the GOP Senate caucus and the Romney campaign. Johnson took a deep breath, thought about the question for another second, and then replied.

“Listen, he’s certainly traveled the world in business, which is good,” Johnson said, before another long pause.  He then pivoted to the economy. “Mitt Romney understands that if you are going to have strong national security you have to have good economic security and it starts there,” Johnson said.

Wait. So if you go on business trips in other countries, you’d make a suitable commander in chief? That qualifies my insurance rep, the choir teacher at the high school where I used to be employed, and my best friend who was a show girl in Japan.

Johnson said… “You rely on a strong foreign-policy team and that’s what he’d do as well.”

Senate Armed Services Committee member John Cornyn (R-TX) said that Romney will depend on those around him to manage national security and foreign policy.

Well, then, that answers that. He’ll outsource his decisions.

Now about those tax returns…