HE'S ACTUALLY BEEN AN EXECUTIVE:

This week I reviewed 700 stories about Romney published by the Boston Globe during his campaign for, and first year as, governor. Patterns emerge in any politician, and they do with Romney, too.

Romney, for example, is nothing if not agile. In his gubernatorial campaign, he tried many messages before finally landing on themes along these lines: I fixed the Salt Lake City Olympics and I'll fix the patronage and budget deficits of Massachusetts. I'll veto any tax increases. I support the statewide ballot initiative to abolish bilingual education. And I'm the only guy who stands in the way of an entrenched 'Gang of Three' -- Democrats controlling the governor's chair, and House and Senate.

He also, in the final three weeks, ran a relentless and expensive negative TV ad campaign against his opponent, Shannon P. O'Brien, just like he did this year against GOP rivals Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry and others. Voters interviewed by the Globe in 2002 said they couldn't wait for the election to be over and called it the most negative campaign for governor they could remember.

As governor, Romney cut spending, and, as promised, didn't raise income taxes, but he did close tax "loopholes" on corporations -- and he dramatically raised state fees, such as tuition at state universities. He also won unprecedented powers to cut state aid to cities and towns, and then he angered mayors by assigning his lieutenant governor and underlings to meet and explain the plan to municipal leaders.

Indeed, his aloof management style turned off a lot of people. He would do a PowerPoint or major speech on TV to outline broad themes, and then walk away and let his staff do the hard work. Globe columnist Brian McGrory said Romney in his first year (he got better later) didn't have just a "tin ear" to the schmoozing and politicking necessary to get things done on Beacon Hill but a "steel ear."

Romney proposed big reorganizations, getting some changes to the Massachusetts human services and transportation departments, but he flamed out completely on a restructuring of the state university system. He did manage, eventually, to get the unpopular head of the system to resign.

Follow @brothersjudd