And then they lashed out at Romney again, after one of his aides eloquently  put them in their place.

“Gov. Romney, are you concerned about some of the mishaps on your trip?” one  reporter barked, following a solemn wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb.

“Do you feel that your gaffes have overshadowed your foreign trip?” shouted  another.

“Do you have a statement for the Palestinians?” one asked.

Could they be any more crude?

Romney aide Rick Gorka finally had enough: “Kiss my ass,” Gorka shot back. “This is a holy site for the Polish people. Show some respect.”

As if they were capable of it.

Let’s be honest — Romney doesn’t stand a chance with the claque now covering  the presidential race.

No Republican would.

Need proof? If the past three-plus years hasn’t provided enough, consider  that Romney’s so-called “gaffes” can fairly be seen as such only if one  disagrees with his underlying views.

Take Romney’s analysis of Israel’s economic success. “Culture makes all the  difference,” he said.

Palestinian mouthpiece Saeb Erakat called it racist.

And the press was sure it had notched another “gotcha” moment.

But as John Podhoretz noted on these pages yesterday, Israel’s economic  miracle — flourishing start-ups and high-tech supremacy, etc. — is the result of  a relatively free market, fair and open political system and healthy work ethic.

The Palestinians, meanwhile, have spent decades under the rule of terrorists  and kleptocrats — and loving every minute of it.

In Gaza, they actually voted to give the fascist group Hamas  political power.

Most Israelis, no doubt, would be hard-pressed to see any Romney “gaffe.”

No matter.

The reporters are clearly taking their cues from . . . the Democrats.

“He’s been fumbling the foreign-policy football from country to country,” an  Obama campaign aide said — a trope echoed in countless news outlets.

Now, there’s no blaming the president for dangling the bait.

But plenty of blame for the reporters who bite.

For their part, the news folks say they’re frustrated because Romney won’t  answer their questions.

Too. Damned. Bad.

Why should he — when they can be counted on to convert every word  that comes out of his mouth into a “gaffe”?

They do this because they view things differently from Romney, and because  most want President Obama re-elected.

They may think they’re scoring points by painting Romney as a  lightweight.

But they’re really just embarrassing themselves and their profession.

Shameful.