The NYT reports that Larry Summers appeared today on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” and called for the extension of the Bush-era tax cuts, which dramatically lowered taxes for people making more than $250, 000 a year.

“The real risk to this economy is on the side of slow down,” he said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” news program. “And that means we’ve got to make sure that we don’t take gasoline out of the tank at the end of this year.”

The Times argues that those comments contradict the policy of the Administration Summers worked for until relatively recently, which the Romney campaign will almost certainly use against Obama this fall: “Even the Obama administration’s top economic adviser has called for the preservation of these tax cuts.”

So….regardless of the merits of Summers’ argument, it’s a bit odd of him to go out and make it in public. But then, anyone who’s ever hired Summers has learned the hard way that this man is not a team player. Is it possible that he’s gunning for a slot in a potential Romney administration? (Given the subsequent update below, this remark now seems off-base.)

Update: Wait! The WSJ reports that Summers did not specifically call for the extension of the tax cuts, and that he has issued a statement saying that he opposes the move.

In a statement released later in the morning, Mr. Summers said: ”I fully support President Obama’s position on tax cuts. I have often said and continue to believe that promoting demand is the most critical short run priority for the American economy. Extending the high income tax cut does little for demand and poses substantial problems of fairness and fiscal prudence.”

The NYT piece, updated minutes before this post, does not mention Summers’ statement, which, if I were Larry Summers, would seriously irritate me.

Update 2: Summers’ walk-back doesn’t matter! As this Google search shows, the story-spread in significant part by FoxNews stations around the country—is that he backs the extension of the Bush tax cuts.