When Newt did that, he was trying to win a (primary) election, and his perception of how that issue would sit with the voters was exactly correct.
I identified, right here, in December 2011-March 2012 why nominating Romney was crazy, and Bain was one of my principal issues.
Newt understood this better than any other candidate available in the winter of 2011-12, and he should get some credibility for it.
I suppose that’s true, but he also thereby contributed to the power of the Bain issue. I agree that nominating Romney was a mistake, and personally would’ve preferred someone else.