Protect Obama? From what?

Elizabeth Hewitt has a Slate article about Willard's attempts to justify his ability to mis-speak:

Mitt Romney says the media is blowing up his overseas missteps to protect Obama. Romney told Fox News that he was not taking a swipe at Palestinian culture when he suggested that Israel’s economic success was due to its "culture" at a fundraiser in Israel. "I’m not speaking about, did not speak about, the Palestinian culture," Romney told Fox’s Carl Cameron.
The presumptive GOP nominee came under fire from Palestinian leaders when he compared the GDP per capita in Israel to that in areas controlled by the Palestinian authority, saying at one point: "Culture makes all the difference." Although he never specifically implicated Palestinian culture, he seemed to imply judgment, CBS News noted.
Palestinian leaders were quick to respond to Romney’s comments. "The statement reflects a clear racist spirit," Palestine's labor minister told the Associated Press.
Romney, however, did his best to shrug off the criticism of his recent missteps during his week-long overseas tour, and instead blamed the press, CNN reported. "They’ll instead try and find anything else to divert from the fact that these last four years have been tough years for our country," the Republican said.

Rico says the next four won't be any better if we elect Willard...