On page 141 of Mitt Romney’s Plan for Jobs and Economic Growth book, two curious words jump out on the page: “Tea Party.”

They are the very words that Romney was criticized for not using even once last weekend during a Tea Party Express event in Concord, N.H., where protesters showed up and accused the candidate of using the event as a campaign photo op. One protester said that Romney spoke in front of the Tea Party Express buses because he often decides what he’s going to do by “holding his finger in the air and going the way the wind blows” and not because his policies are at all aligned with those of the Tea Party.

But a close read might suggest otherwise: Romney actually compliments the Tea Party in a portion of   his jobs plan dedicated to fiscal responsibility.

In a passage detailing his plan, he promises, if elected, to cut and cap the budget at 20 percent of GDP.

Romney writes: “While getting the federal debt under control will be a long and arduous task, the first step toward recovery is admitting we have a problem and refusing to allow any more irresponsible borrowing.”

“The rise of the Tea Party is a classic instance of the self-correcting forces of American democracy in action,” writes Romney.