It’s a subtle change, notable only because it contributes to a reshaping of questions about the length of Mitt Romney’s tenure at Bain Capital, the private equity firm he founded.

In recent days, Romney and his defenders have begun to say Romney left his “day-to-day” duties at Bain Capital when he took over the Salt Lake City Olympics in February 1999, seemingly absolving him of responsibility for any bankruptcies, layoffs or offshore outsourcing after 1999 by companies Bain had invested in.

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However, Romney established a much stricter standard of separation when he asserted on his most recent financial disclosure form that he “has not been involved in the operations of any Bain Capital entity in any way” since he took over the Olympics.

The real question is not about whether Romney had day-to-day involvement with Bain Capital but about whether he had any involvement at all.