Mitt Romney and Big Thighs

There was a big development in the world of politics today.  U.S. Speedskating announced that former Olympic gold medalist Derek Parra is taking over as the national all-around coach for the upcoming Olympics.

Why does that matter in politics?  Well Mitt Romney talks a lot about Derek Parra’s big thighs.  Seriously.  I am not making this up.

I spent the better part of 8 months following Republican Mitt Romney on his way to the White House.  OK, he didn’t actually make it there. But he did make a lot of speeches trying to get there, and I listened to a good many of them.  And one of his favorite stories was about his encounter with gold medalist Derek Parra during the 2002 Olympics.  Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom can quote it almost verbatim.  Romney would say: 

“I asked Derek, what was your favorite moment during the Olympics. Was it winning the gold? Was it winning the silver? No, he said his favorite moment was during the Opening Ceremony when he carried in the flag that had flown over the World Trade Center on 9/11. You see, Derek was expecting people in the stadium to cheer and applaud. Instead, total silence. Complete reverence.”

It really is an inspiring story, and one that Romney told quite well. However, he would always preface it with a physical description of Derek Parra, that was at least a little awkward.  He almost always noted that Parra had "big thighs," or sometimes he would say, "great big thighs."  And I vaguely even remember him once saying, "big powerful thighs."

Really this says less about Romney, than the fact that as a campaign reporter you sometimes have to listen to the same story a hundred times…so you occasionally find humor in strange places.  Even big thighs.

Is Parra’s new job the first significant development in the 2012 campaign?