Romney Lets Loose In South Carolina

From CBS News' Scott Conroy, on the trail with Mitt Romney:

Most days on Mitt Romney’s jam-packed campaign schedule follow a predictable course—a series of stump speeches, photo-ops and media availabilities. It’s a rare event when Romney strays from his campaign’s well-heeled message or does anything that hasn’t been carefully orchestrated by the campaign.

Last night was an exception.

Maybe there was something in the air in Greenville, South Carolina, that inspired the former Massachusetts governor to high-five a human being dressed as a giant apple. Or perhaps it was the whiffs of extra-spicy chili floating through the breeze that led Romney to joke that he could not accept a Mardi Gras-style bead necklace, since he had “nothing to show.”

Romney is always upbeat, but he was in a notably enthusiastic mood—even for him—as he sampled the chili and kissed several middle-aged women on the cheek. He even gave a giant bear hug to three Hooters girls—although he didn’t seem to realize what restaurant they worked for until one of them shouted, “Vote for Hooters chili!”

As the crowd around him grew, one of Romney’s aides kept trying to tell the governor that it was time to go, but Romney insisted upon stealing a few more hugs and kisses on the cheek before finally calling it a night (click on the video above to watch).

While unscripted scenes like the ones that occurred last night help to humanize a candidate who has been accused of being too robotic and polished, not every moment was lighthearted. Romney took a pointed jab at the work ethic of one of his primary GOP rivals, Fred Thompson.

“What you have to do to get South Carolina is you have to work it,” Romney said. “That’s why I’ve made so many trips here, over 50 events in South Carolina. When he catches up to me in events, then he’ll know he’s got South Carolina too, but you have to work South Carolina, and that’s what I’ve been doing for the past year.”

Earlier in the day, Romney toured the Carolina Hope Christian Adoption Agency in Greenville where he thanked some of the local parents with adopted children and called for making the adoption tax credit permanent.

Romney also picked up the endorsement of South Carolina State Senator Kevin Bryant, who was backing Sam Brownback before the Kansas Senator dropped out of the race. The Associated Press reports that Bryant sponsored a bill that would require pregnant woman to see an ultra-sound image before having an abortion.