The New York Times has an entertaining post about David Axelrod’s bizarre fixation with tweeting the Romney campaign an incessant amount just to let them know he’s always thinking of the former Massachusetts governor. It’s one indication that the Obama administration and their allies see Romney as their most formidable general-election opponent. But it’s also a sign that even the Times thinks Axelrod may need to find a way to distract himself from this particularly off-putting obsession:

Mr. Axelrod has only posted on Twitter 248 times. But a great number of them have been about Mr. Romney. And many have been just as snarky….

Mr. Axelrod clearly does a lot of personal thinking about Mr. Romney.

The Times reposts a few of the tweets, noting that not even hanging out with his kids can divert Axelrod from his need to taunt Romney. Axelrod once tweeted: “At Bulls game with my daughter, Lauren, thinking about how turnovers late in game can kill you. Must be thinking same over at Romney HQ!”

The Times also recounts one incident in which Axelrod goaded Romney adviser Eric Fehrnstrom into a Twitter conversation and then chided Fehrnstrom for wasting his time talking to him when he ostensibly should have been prepping Romney for an upcoming debate. Fehrnstrom replied that, essentially, he had the good fortune to work for a candidate who actually understood the economy and didn’t need it explained to him over and over.

The popularity of social media has clearly left its mark on recent events, from the Arab Spring to the current presidential election. But Twitter rewards and encourages snark, and as such presents a certain amount of risk, especially to someone like Axelrod who is known to the political world because of his association with Barack Obama. The Times story was basically the paper’s way of putting an arm around Axelrod, thanking him for all the good work he’s done, and suggesting that perhaps he should take up golf or spend some more time with family and friends, away from the Internet for a while.