If you didn’t catch it elsewhere, the WSJ Law Blog picks up Romney’s "lawyer" quote from the debates:

During Tuesday’s Republican Presidential debate, Romney was asked whether he’d have to ask Congress for authorization to take military action against Iran. His response, says the WSJ editorial board provided a “revealing — and dispiriting” glimpse into “modern political life.” Said Romney:

 “You sit down with your attorneys and tell you what you have to do. But obviously the President of the United States has to do what’s in the best interest of the United States to protect against a potential threat. The President did that as he was planning on moving into Iraq and received the authorization of Congress.”

Follow-up question: Did President Bush need such authorization? Romney: “You know, we’re going to let the lawyers sort out what he needed to do and what he didn’t need to do.” Egad, says the WSJ:

Frankly, I’m surprised Romney had such a reasonable answer, given the needs of his base to hear chest-thumping. The Constitution clearly requires Congress’ authorization prior to launching a war. The real question is if a given act is war, police action, or one of the exceptions under the War Powers Act. It’s horrifying to think that a President would ever launch any military action without extensive consultation with Congress or, at the very least, his own staff.

For our purposes the real meat here is: be wary of calling yourself a "lawyer" or having clients or anyone else think of you as just a "lawyer." The term frequently connotates a hired gun who greases the wheels for wrongful conduct. Other candidates got away with "advisors" and "consult Congress," which are exactly the same answer.