The United States has a lot to be afraid of: the war in Iraq, the mortgage crisis, wildfires, the gulf between the haves and have nots, and Dick Cheney. But former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney thinks that the nation should really be afraid of Hillary Clinton.

In an attempt to celebrate Halloween and trash an opponent at the same time, Mitt Romney told an audience in Iowa,

"What do you think about Hillary's House of Horrors? All right? And we'd have . . . the 'raise your tax' room. We'd have the 'weaker military' room. We'd have the 'family values in shambles' room. . . . It'd be a pretty frightful place. And frankly what the Democrats are selling is really quite frightening these days as we approach Halloween."

The Clinton camp took umbrage at Romney's personal cheap shot. A spokesman said, "Hillary Clinton needs no lessons on character from a man who switches his positions on a daily basis." Romney has, by all accounts, a rock-solid family life, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have a House of Horrors of his own.

Romney's rude jabs at Clinton's personal life suggest he's learned nothing from his recent struggles with people who are judging him by his Mormon beliefs. He also recently referred to the Senator as nothing more than an "intern," which suggests an unsavory attitude toward women who don't work inside the home. (While we are not fans of former Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey, that kind of comment is an insult to her work as well. Does Romney think his No. 2 was an "intern"?)

Romney has been working hard to deflect invasive questions about his religion, and his religion is his personal business. Likewise, even though Hillary and Bill Clinton's dirty undies were aired across all media formats, their family values are still their business. And if he wants to refer to female lawyers and senators as "interns," then perhaps someone can shoot back that he's just another pretty face.

Image of Mitt Romney in Halloween mode. The opinions stated in this post belong solely to this Bostonist.