Romney says birther remark had nothing to do with Obama: 'A little humor always goes a long way'

Boss Romneybot owns his humorous birther routine in an interview with CBS Evening News host Scott Pelley:

SCOTT PELLEY: You said in a rally today, "No one has ever asked to see my birth certificate. They know this is the place we were born and raised." Why did you say that?

MITT ROMNEY: Well, we're in Michigan, and uh, both Ann and I were born in Detroit. And of course a little humor always goes a long way, so, uh, uh, it was great to be home. To be in a place where Ann and I had grown up, and uh, the crowd loved it and got a good laugh.

PELLEY: But this was a swipe at the president and I wonder why you took it.

ROMNEY: No, no. Not a swipe. I've said throughout the campaign and before there's no question about where he was born. He was born in the U.S. This was fun about us and coming home. And humor, you know, we've got to have a little humor in a campaign as well.

Okay, Mitt. I'll bite. Let's say you were just telling a joke and it had nothing to do with the president. Let's say you weren't tickling Donald Trump's funny bone or playing footsie with Rush Limbaugh. Let's say it had nothing at all to do with the birther conspiracy. If all those things are the case, then what, exactly, was the joke? And why did the crowd love it?