Did Mitt Romney just say he once worked in 'small business'?

In his return to the campaign trail today in Colorado, Mitt Romney defended his time at Bain with an awkward and ambiguous soundbite in which he either claimed to have been a small businessman or claimed his Bain experience taught him how how to help small businesses thrive.

Here's video of his soundbite, in which he makes the case that only he can "revitalize" America's economy:

His first two sentences were easy to understand:

This nation is coming back in a magnificent way. You're going to see the people of this country and of the world shocked by how strong our economy is revitalized'as long as we have leaders that understand how the economy works.

But what he said next was not so clear. I'm not sure if he said this:

Look, I spent my life in business'25 years, in small business, big business. I know what it takes to support the energy and passion that drives this economy.

Or if what he said was this: "In small business, big business, I know what it takes to support the energy and passion that drives this economy." Either way, what he said was sheer nonsense. He wasn't a small businessman at Bain, and his experience at Bain didn't teach him how to help small businesses.

Whatever Romney meant, it's worth noting that he is the one holding up Bain as the centerpiece of his campaign. He's the one ignoring his record as governor of Massachusetts, where he presided over 47th in the nation job growth. (He didn't even mention he'd been governor during the speech.)

And Mitt Romney's awkward phrasing is yet another reminder that even though his record at Bain is the only part of his resume that he talks about, he's still unable to clearly define why it matters.