Our Platform for Outlining Colorado’s Future

Transcript: Mitt Romney on 'FOX News Sunday' Sunday , August 12, 2007 DES MOINES, Iowa —  The following is a partial transcript of the Aug. 12, 2001, edition of "FOX News Sunday With Chris Wallace": "FOX NEWS SUNDAY" HOST CHRIS WALLACE: And joining us now, the winner of the Iowa straw poll, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney . Welcome back to "FOX News Sunday," Governor, and congratulations on yesterday. 2008 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE MITT ROMNEY: Well, thank you, Chris. And it's already warm here in Des Moines. WALLACE: It sure is. What do you see as the significance of your victory yesterday? M. ROMNEY: Well, it's a big start getting ready for the caucuses. You want to do well in the straw poll so that you can build the organization, get your fundraising machine under way, make sure that your message connects with the people of Iowa, because if you can do well in the straw poll, it gives yo...

August 11, 2007,  4:24 pm Romney Praises Bush, Sort Of By Adam Nagourney Supporters of Mitt Romney cheered. (Photo: Eric Thayer/Getty Images) AMES, Iowa — The Iowa Straw Poll was where President Bush took his first big step toward winning his party's nomination. He poured money and resources here in 1999, drawing 31 percent of the vote, way ahead of Steve Forbes, the billionaire, who drew 20 percent of the vote. No surprise that Mr. Bush isn't a particularly popular figure here today as Republicans gather for another straw poll; indeed he seemed almost invisible today at one of the larger political Republican gatherings anywhere. With one exception: Mitt Romney of Massachusetts. It wasn't the most ringing praise, but praise it was. "I know it's gotten popular as of late for people in the media to be critical of the president," Mr. Romney told supporters. "No one is perfect." "But let's not forget one thing," he said. ...

Tony Allen-Mills, Cedar Rapids WHEN the annual Iowa state fair opened in Des Moines last week the summer celebrations of America's rich rural traditions included an "ugliest cake" contest. It may prove the only Iowa competition that is not won this year by Mitt Romney, the eye-catching former Massachusetts governor who is threatening to shake up the Republican race for the White House in 2008. "I love everything that comes out of your mouth," one adoring Iowa Republican cooed to Romney at an "Ask Mitt anything" fundraising dinner in Cedar Rapids. "I just think he's such a smart man," said Walter Willett after a breakfast meeting in Tama. By gambling heavily on early success in the tortuous campaign for the Iowa caucuses - the key primary vote that traditionally launches the White House election season - Romney is hoping to wake up this morning with a largely symbolic but politically valuable victory under his silver-buckled belt. ... ...

I think this is the best photo I have seen of Romney. August 11, 2007 Romney critical of poll no-shows Romney said the candidates who did not show knew they could not win straw poll. AMES, Iowa (CNN) The winner of the Ames, Iowa straw poll says the three Republican presidential hopefuls who skipped the contest knew they couldn't win. Mitt Romney came in first in this crucial early GOP presidential showdown. The former Massachusetts Governor won nearly 32% of the vote, far ahead of his competitors. At a news conference after the results were announced, Romney discussed why former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Senator Fred Thompson, and Senator from Arizona John McCain decided to skip this straw poll. Romney said "their decision not to compete here was not a decision based on strength." Romney continued, saying "the guys who decided not to play would have played here if they thought they could have won." Giuliani, Thomps...

August 11, 2007, 1:04 pm Make Way for the Fred Heads By Michael Luo

August 11, 2007,  9:25 pm Romney Wins Straw Poll By Jeff Zeleny Mitt Romney celebrated his win in the straw poll. (Photo: Keith Bedford for The New York Times) AMES, Iowa – The outcome of the Republican Straw Poll was announced here tonight, with Mitt Romney easily claiming the first prize of the presidential campaign. He was followed by Mike Huckabee and Sam Brownback. There are, of course, many asterisks on this scorecard and the true significance is an open question. Neither Rudolph Giuliani, John McCain nor Fred Thompson actively participated in the event, but their names were still on the ballot here. Here are the quick results: 1. Mitt Romney –32 percent 2. Mike Huckabee – 18 percent 3. Sam Brownback – 15 percent 4. Tom Tancredo – 14 percent 5. Ron Paul – 9 percent 6. Tommy Thompson — 7 percent 7. Fred Thompson – 1 percent 8. Rudolph W. Giuliani – 1 percent 9. Duncan Hunter – 1 percent 10. John McCain (less than 1 percent) 11. John Cox (less than 1 pe...

Is CNN even there? I went to their website a few minutes ago, and there isn't a link on the entire page that references the straw poll today. I guess the GOP isn't important, or the poll is meaningless in their eyes....

In Praise of Retail Politics    [ Kathryn Jean Lopez ] Mitt-supporting D.C. mom in Ames for the straw poll e-mails: Overall, I have to say, I was impressed with the quality of the "retail politics" — lots of people were out in force in the 90-degree sun touting their candidates and their ideas - intelligently, passionately, and politely.  The kind of crowd where, even if your kid gets lost, you aren't thinking "Amber Alert," but rather, "I just need to get the PA system to tell whoever finds him to bring him to the Mittmobile." While in line for the Fair Tax Ferris Wheel, a Ron Paul supporter calls out, "Ron Paul has been pro-life his whole life." The response of some Mitt Romney supporters:  "God Bless him!". Paul supporter:  "Mitt Romney hasn't!" Romney supporter: "I know.  But he is now, and he is the only one who can beat Hillary Clinton, and she has never been pro-life." 08...

One wonders: Do Mike Huckabee and Sam Brownback want pro-choice Rudy Giuliani to be president? Or are they both confident in a not-yet-declared Fred Thompson (and praying he'll pick one of them as veep)?

We've come a long way from the 2003 British lectures about American obtrusive ray-bans and Kevlar losing what British soft hats and smiles had won. That quote about defeat from "a senior U.S. official" about the British withdrawal from southern Iraq is probably accurate, but it belongs to a larger, more disturbing context: (1) the popular British anger at the U.S. (whether evidenced by the "poodle" slur or the latest Pew poll finding that a bare majority of British subjects approves of the U.S.); (2) a growing acknowledgement of British weakness and appeasement, as exemplified not just by the escape from Iraq, but everything from the coddling of radical Islamists in London to the humiliation of the British navy by Iran. So there is a logic there: the more the U.S. seeks to be a partner with Britain in harm's way where it is ill-equipped, uncomfortable and thus bound to be humiliated, the more it resents America for doing so. The unspoken truth is that just a...

Giuliani Links    Social Conservatives for Rudy and Catholics Against Rudy have both recently launched. AP is running a story about how Giuliani rules questions about his faith about of bounds, except when he doesn't. (Don't they all do that?) Via Jonathan Chait , I see the Village Voice is questioning Giuliani's record on terrorism. (I haven't read it yet.) (ME: No. Some questions are in bounds, and some are not) Last month, factcheck.org cast doubt on his claims about his record on adoption. Finally, recent poll data sheds some light on the question of how Giuliani's stance on abortion will play among Republican primary voters. Supporters and opponents alike have something to seize upon. On the one hand,"Barely four-in-ten (41%) Republican voters, including independents who lean Republican, can identify Giuliani as the GOP candidate who supports a woman's right to choose when it comes to abortion, while the rest either incorrectly ...

Peter Gelzinis Boston Herald Columnist No roadside bombs to annoy Romney boys in Iowa By Peter Gelzinis Boston Herald Columnist Friday, August 10, 2007 - Updated: 10:29 AM EST P erhaps if Mitt Romney wasn't such a rubber stamp for every blunder George Bush has made in Iraq, then the question he was hit with in Iowa the other day could be viewed as out of bounds. But when your presidential campaign strategy of meticulous pandering has you beating the war drums, talking about " surges of support ," and God has blessed you with five strapping sons - none of whom has chosen to wear the uniform of this country - it's only reasonable to expect that someone would ask: Why not? They were all married and had children before the war began. Romney was not a "rubber stamp for every blunder George Bush has made in Iraq" You don't have to support the war, to support the troops. Romney's "surge of support" has nothing to do with supporting th...

Mitt Romney is at the Pork Tent flipping pork chops on a giant grill with about a dozen camera crews recording the moment for history. Photo by AP Romney pigs out at Iowa State Fair By: Roger Simon Aug 11, 2007 08:19 AM EST DES MOINES -- Today we are at the Iowa State Fair, where politicians meet swine but are rarely mistaken for them. Mitt Romney is at the Pork Tent being a "guest cook," which means he is flipping pork chops on a giant grill with about a dozen camera crews recording the moment for history. More than 175 Romney family members -- it's a big family -- have come to Iowa for a gathering Friday night and to help out at the Ames Straw Poll on Saturday and Romney is accompanied at the fair by his wife Ann, three of his five sons, and a slew of grandchildren. Romney puts on an apron that says: "Mitt Romney. Not a blah cook. The Other White Meat. Don't be blah." ...

By Katharine Q. Seelye Representative Ron Paul talks with Mary McCraken of Des Moines after speaking at the Iowa State Fair. (Photo: Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press) Ron Paul's supporters are actively encouraging Iowa voters to take advantage of Mitt Romney's offers of free transportation to the Iowa Straw Poll in Ames on Saturday and then, once they are there, to vote for Mr. Paul. "Some say if Mitt is willing to bus Iowans to Ames for the straw poll, they should take him up on his offer!" says a flier in Iowa and on the Internet in advance of the straw poll for the Republican presidential candidates. The flier says that after riding the Romney bus to Ames, and allowing the Romney campaign to pay one's $35 entry fee, Iowans should then carefully weigh their options and "they may decide to vote for Ron Paul." The flier is topped with a banner that says "2008 Ron Paul News," but Jesse Benton, a campaign spokesman, said it was the han...

  Campaign Update Posted by Dean Barnett   | 10:51 AM Thank goodness! The actual voting will likely begin weeks earlier than planned, putting us out of our misery far earlier than we would have dared hope. That's good news, and it will probably imbue all the campaigns with an extra sense of urgency, excluding the Thompson campaign which seems unable to show interest let alone urgency. We have a fresh new batch of poll numbers to dive into. The latest Rasmussen national numbers show Rudy at 25%, Fred at 21%, Romney at 14% and McCain at 9%. If you've sensed (as I have) that Fred has been losing momentum while his campaign temporizes, the Rasmussen trends bear that out. Fred has gone from a peak position of a 5 point lead to a 4 point deficit in the past three weeks. If he wants to win, Fred has to get into the game and play well. There are also some fresh numbers out of Iowa. The latest Des Moines Register poll shows Romney holding a commanding lead pulling 27%, Ru...

(Reuters) Romney: Giuliani's NYC 'Sanctuary' for Illegal Immigrants Republican Presidential Contender Calls Giuliani's New York a 'Sanctuary' for Illegals By JAKE TAPPER with RON CLAIBORNE BETTENDORF, Iowa, Aug. 8, 2007 — In one of the strongest conflicts yet between Republican presidential front-runners, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney attacked rival Rudy Giuliani Wednesday, implying that Giuliani supported illegal immigration when he was mayor of New York. "If you look at lists compiled on Web sites of sanctuary cities, New York is at the top of the list when Mayor Giuliani was mayor," Romney said at the Abbey Hotel here. "He instructed city workers not to provide information to the federal government that would allow them to enforce the law. New York City was the poster child for sanctuary cities in the country." The Giuliani campaign issued a statement rejecting the charge. Campaign communications director Kati...