Main Street America gets the chance to meet Mr. Awkward up close

As we saw during his quest to secure the Republican nomination, Mitt Romney does two things that he apparently hopes will ingratiate himself to voters. One is flat-out pandering. The other is waxing amazed at whatever he just saw or whomever he has just met, as if he were a traveler in a strange and distant land.

I first commented on this after Romney's failed attempt to curry favor with Mississippi voters in March, when he said - with a little Dixie inflection in his voice - "Mornin', y'all. I got started right this morning with a biscuit and some cheesy grits."

My take? "It's almost as if we're watching Mitt Romney on safari in his own country."

That came less than a month after his spectacular pander in his home state of Michigan. You'd think the son of a thrice-elected governor wouldn't have to resort to this sort of thing.

"I love this state. It seems right here. Trees are the right height. . . . I like seeing the lakes. I love the lakes. . . . I love cars."

At an event in Fort Worth two weeks ago, Romney went on and on about a tall man he met.

"I met a guy yesterday, seven feet tall. Yeah, handsome, great big guy. Seven feet tall! . . . He started a business.. . . I mean I figured he had to be in sport. But he wasn't in sport."

This weekend, Romney added to his parade of wonder with this beauty after visiting a well-known convenience-store chain in Pennsylvania:

"Where do you get your hoagies here? Do you get them at Wawa's? Is that where you get them?. . .

"Well, I went to a place today called Wawa's. You ever been to Wawa's? Anybody been there? Some people don't like . . . I know, I'm sorry. It's a big state divide. But we went to Wawa's . . .

"I was at a Wawa's. I went to order a sandwich. You press a little touch-tone key pad. . . . You touch this, touch this, touch this, go pay the cashier and there's your sandwich. It's amazing!"

What's amazing is that Romney is seeking to lead a nation he appears to be visiting for the very first time. Pity he won't settle for a T-shirt instead of the presidency as his souvenir.

Jonathan Capehart is a member of The Washington Post's editorial page staff.