Did Mitt make is mistake here?

There are a number of questions here? Like why the hell does this lady not know how to spell mama?

It is possible that Mitt wasn't aware of what the sign read when he posed with it. In crowds of people coming and getting pictures with you, it isn't always easy to control or monitor the message.

Second even if he did know what the sign said, what should have been his response. He could have dodged the sign and the person holding it, but that could have gotten him in trouble on the other side.

Third, it is a joke, a stupid joke made that much worse by the spelling and the poor handwriting.

At the end of the day I think that we know that Mitt doesn't think that Obama is a terrorist. The mistake here is in judgement, not acting quickly enough to get the sign down, or to prevent himself from being photographed with it. It is unclear if the second picture where he is holding it was taken second or first. In either case, he should not have taken the sign and held it up higher to show more people the bad spelling and handwriting. I think we are too fast to attack people, I don't see this as something that will harm him with his supporters.