Shouts & Murmurs: President Romney Meets Other World Leaders

When Mitt Romney introduces himself to voters, he has a peculiar habit of guessing their age or nationality, often incorrectly. (A regular query: “Are you French Canadian?”)
When making small talk with locals, he peppers the conversation with curious details… . Mr. Romney has developed an unlikely penchant for trying to puzzle out everything from voters’ personal relationships to their ancestral homelands… . Mr. Romney likes to congratulate people. For what, exactly, is not always clear.
—The Times, December 28, 2011.