Better to take the hit on his wealth now or, as he proposes, sometime in April, rather than allow the issue to fester throughout the summer and let Obama use it as a way to define him.

ABC News:

Amid continued pressure from his rivals to make public his tax returns, Mitt Romney said at a Republican presidential candidates debate tonight that he will "probably" release that information in April.

That timetable is in line with tradition of past nominees, who have released their information around tax day in early April.

"I have nothing in them that suggests there is any problem," he said. "I'm happy to do so."

Romney had said as recently as Wednesday that he doesn't feel the need to do anything more than the law requires him to do, which is reveal his assets.

This is another unforced error by Romney. It is a no brainer to release your taxes. There is some flexibility how and when to do it, but to refuse is foolhardy. "What's he hiding," people will ask? - no doubt aided by his opponent who will raise the question early and often.

Get it out of the way, take the hit, and move on.