  View larger image | | ADEL, Iowa (AP) - Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney said Friday that the country is angry over the lack of progress in the Iraq war, a stinging assessment of the Bush administration's handling of the conflict from a Republican candidate. Campaigning in Iowa, the former Massachusetts governor also argued that despite the nation's frustration over the war, voters aren't ready to replace President Bush with a Democrat. "I know the Democrats are getting all ready, they are measuring the drapes and getting the carpet all ready for how they are going to take over the White House, and I think they are going to get a big surprise," Romney told a crowd gathered at a golf course. "America is not happy with how the war in Iraq is going, and is angry. But America is not about to take a sharp left turn and put somebody in the White House who would turn America into a European-type state." While Romney supported the March 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq and backs Bush's current troop increase, he has repeatedly said the post- invasion period was "mismanaged" with a lack of preparation for the insurgency and adequate planning for a government handover. Before various New Hampshire audiences on Wednesday, Romney said he would wait until a mid-September report from U.S. generals in Iraq before deciding the next course of action that he would support. He said if the surge succeeds, he believes it will allow U.S. troop withdrawals. He had refused to detail alternate scenarios should insurgent violence continue unabated. On immigration, Romney adopted a hardline stance. "I ... don't think it makes sense to have an immigration policy that says that if an illegal couple—a couple that comes across the border illegally—has a child here, that child becomes a U.S. citizen, that then the whole family gets to come in, if you will, through 'chain migration,'" he said. ____ On the Net: Mitt Romney for President 2008: http://www.mittromney.com/
Governor Romney on Iraq
Gov. Romney Stresses The Importance Of Winning In Iraq And Defeating Radical Islam Globally. "The congressional debate in Washington has largely, and myopically, focused on whether troops should be redeployed from Iraq to Afghanistan, as if these were isolated issues. Yet the jihad is much broader than any one nation, or even several nations. ... The jihadist threat is the defining challenge of our generation and is symptomatic of a range of new global realities." (Gov. Mitt Romney, "Rising To A New Generation Of Global Challenges," Foreign Affairs, July/August 2007)
Iraq Questions for Governor Mitt Romney
Governor Mitt Romney on Iraq
ABC'S GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: "National security, you're a management consultant again. You've come into the United States looking at the commander-in-chief. Do you keep him or let him go?"
GOVERNOR ROMNEY: "Well, you have to look at Iraq and Iraq was superbly executed in terms of taking down Saddam Hussein's government. But I think everybody recognizes, from the president to Tony Blair to Secretary Rumsfeld that post the period of major conflict, we had major problems in the way we've managed the war in Iraq, and that has contributed to much of the difficulty we have today. It was under-planned, under-prepared, under-staffed, too low a level of troops, under-managed."
STEPHANOPOULOS: "But how do you explain why all that planning wasn't done? President Bush is a Harvard MBA, too."
GOVERNOR ROMNEY: "Well, everybody has their own management style and their own approach and I respect enormously the approach other people. Mine is just different. And if you read "Cobra II" and "Assassins' Gate" and "Looming Tower" and some of the reports of the events leading up not only to 9/11, but to the conflict itself, there's a sense that we really weren't ready for the post major conflict period. And that has resulted in a blossoming of the sectarian violence, of insurgents within the country and from without, and a setting which is a very troubled, difficult position."
STEPHANOPOULOS: "Yet, you support the president's decision to send more troops right now."
GOVERNOR ROMNEY: "Yeah."
STEPHANOPOULOS: "How much time do you give it to work?"
GOVERNOR ROMNEY: "Well, it's not years. I think you're going to know within months."
STEPHANOPOULOS: "Mayor Giuliani said the other night he's not confident it's going to work. Are you?"
GOVERNOR ROMNEY: "Well, you know, I think it's hard to predict whether this troop surge will work, but I'm absolutely confident it's the right thing to do."
Press Releases
Quotes
2007
2006
"I agree with the President: Our strategy in Iraq must change. Our military mission, for the first time, must include securing the civilian population from violence and terror. It is impossible to defeat the insurgency without first providing security for the Iraqi people. Civilian security is the precondition for any political and economic reconstruction.
"In consultation with Generals, military experts and troops who have served on the ground in Iraq, I believe securing Iraqi civilians requires additional troops. I support adding five brigades in Baghdad and two regiments in Al-Anbar province. Success will require rapid deployment.
"This effort should be combined with clear objectives and milestones for U.S. and Iraqi leaders.
"The road ahead will be difficult but success is still possible in Iraq. I believe it is in America's national security interest to achieve it."
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Romney: Americans Angry With Iraq War
PEOPLE EXCLUSIVE: Ann Romney Opens Up
PEOPLE EXCLUSIVE: Ann Romney Opens Up
| Ann Romney Photo by: Ben Baker |
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"Ann deserves a lot of credit," says GOP pollster Neil Newhouse. "Politicians talk about family values, Ann and Mitt Romney live them."
Her husband calls her "one of America's great moms" – a description she's "totally satisfied with."
Mrs. Romney, 58, invited PEOPLE into the sunshine-yellow sitting room of her Belmont, Mass., home on June 12 to talk about her Mormon faith, raising five boys, living with Multiple Sclerosis – and her designs on the White House.
Here is the complete interview:
What do you most want people to know about you?
The thing people are most curious about is that I have MS and then the fact that I've overcome it. When you're used to being healthy and strong and vibrant and everything and then – bang – overnight you're desperately ill, it's frightening. People liken it to the same stages you go through grieving a death, where it takes a long time to accept it. Now that I've had it a number of years, I spend a lot of time on the phone privately talking to people who have just been recently diagnosed. That's my way of helping others. I always recommend going to a good doctor, doing the right medicines and then combining that with holistic [treatments.]
Opens Up
| Ann Romney Photo by: Rob Carr / AP |
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I had a very aggressive deterioration where I went from a matter of – October to December [1997] – of my whole right side going completely numb and being completely weakened and, I mean, I don't want to get that graphic about what happens, but you lose bowel and bladder control. It's so scary, you can't even imagine. I thought it was moving so fast it was going to kill me. But for me, I was put on [a 9-month course of] intravenous steroids and that worked like a charm. The thing is, you want to caution that everyone's diagnosis is different and everyone's treatment is different. I was having enormous fatigue and that's where the holistic part helped me. So, the steroids worked for stopping the progression and the holistic part helped me with energy.
You used horseback riding as therapy?
This enormous joy and passion that I had with riding horses got me out of bed, got me motivated, got me physically moving again, removed me to a very happy place and I would have so much joy and happiness and just so much fun while I was on the horse that I would even forget I was sick. Now I was really, really weak at the beginning when I was first riding. I had always dreamed that I might be able to even compete in the Grand Prix ring. Well, last year, not only did I compete, I earned the Gold Medal for the United States. Not only did I compete in Grand Prix, I'm also the highest-ranked Grand Prix rider in New England. Amateur, but still.
How did your husband take your diagnosis?
He was amazing. Initially we were both devastated. There was a lot of education we had to absorb about the disease. When he really helped me was when I was going through this really depressed period where I felt like I was 80 years old, there was nothing I could ever do again and life was over for me. I was of no use to anybody. It wasn't as though I was suicidal, but I was at the point where I thought, Couldn't I please just have cancer and die? And that's when Mitt would look at me, like, what? Finally he just said, 'I don't care if you aren't able to do the things you used to do, those things don't matter. We can get through anything together. As long as you're just still here, everything will be okay.'
PEOPLE EXCLUSIVE: Ann Romney Opens Up
| Ann and Mitt Romney at a campaign stop in Iowa. Photo by: Joshua Lott / REUTERS / Landov |
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A hundred-percent personal thing. Mitt was the first Mormon I met and we began dating in high school. I just started asking him questions. I was curious.
What about the faith appealed to you?
I think it was just their belief in God and Jesus Christ and the plan of Salvation and our purpose here in life and all of those things that I think were being answered by the faith.
Was your family okay with it?
Oh, no! My dad was mortified. Can you imagine? The great agnostic that he is? Then, a few years later, not only did I get baptized, but my two brothers did, too. A few years later, my father was now telling all of his friends, "You got a problem with your teenagers? Send 'em to Brigham Young University. You can't believe it; it's the greatest place."
What are some of the misunderstandings about the church?
Polygamy, obviously is one, but that's just going to take such a long time. It's not practiced and it just drives me crazy every time I see these specials about 'Oh, the Mormons and the polygamy.' And they always equate Mormon and polygamy as if they still do it. Sometimes it's frustrating for me that the church doesn't get more aggressive about it, too, making it really clear that they're really opposed to it.
Do you follow all of the Doctrine and Covenants, the sacred undergarments, no hot drinks or alcohol?
Well, you know, I mean, we're practicing and active, so you can imagine we do some of the things that you'd expect. My kids don't drink and don't smoke. For me, that's been a great blessing actually, raising boys.
Have you seen Big Love?
Nope. Never seen it.
Law & Order (starring Fred Thompson, who's expected to enter the GOP race)?
I have seen it. Love it.
PEOPLE EXCLUSIVE: Ann Romney Opens Up
| Ann Romney stands by husband Mitt. Photo by: Steve Pope / Landov |
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I think that would be very similar. MS awareness and working to make sure that at-risk youth make right choices. Every child is terrific they just need to be given the opportunity to make the right choices so they can have a more fulfilling and rich life.
You made the decision to stay at home and have an interesting story about finishing your college degree.
I was going at night, taking this Harvard extension program and finishing my hours. I had maybe just a semester's worth of hours to do. I remember taking Josh, who was a baby then, to the class, nursing him in the back of the class. I think that was a first. It's one of those things where the professor is like, Wait, wait, wait, this is liberal Harvard, but what am I going to do about that woman in the back with a baby that's nursing? He just kept pretending like I wasn't there. There was a blind man sitting at the back of the room with me and finally after a few weeks of class, he goes, "I gotta ask you a question, what's that noise over there?"
In the circles you're in, do you ever feel self-conscious or apologetic about the choices you've made?
Never. Motherhood was my career, and I'm totally satisfied with that and the blessings that come with that. I feel it's been a privilege to be able to be a stay-at-home mom. I know there's so many women who would love to be and don't have that option and so for me it was a privilege to be able to have that option. And I value women that struggle and wish they could stay at home full-time but don't. And then I value women, too, that choose professionally to have a career.
What's your favorite memory from raising five boys?
It was wild. It was rowdy. There were times when seriously you just wanted to pull your hair out because you'd wish they would just be quiet for a minute, or sit, or even bake cookies or pick up their dishes or any of that, which never happened spontaneously. But then there were the fun times when honestly, they were so silly, the five all together that you just laughed a lot because there was just so much exuberance and happiness. I learned a lot from having boys.
Did you have any help?
No housekeeper. Nothing. No.
What keeps you in love with your husband?
No one's ever asked me that. I think we enjoy each other's company very much. We just enjoy being with each other. Sometimes we can just sit in a room and not talk; it doesn't matter. We just want to be together.
Mitt Romney at Jack's
Mitt Romney at Jack's
Mitt Romney (GG file photo)
Jack's in New London was a happening place this morning, July 25, when I arrived about 10:15 am. It helps to know the area, so I didn't even try to park at Jack's since I assumed the lot would be full. It was.
So, I scooted directly down to the Kearsarge Regional Middle School which is behind Jack's and parked the ole' gal and walked up to Jack's. The place was full when I arrived with some spillover outside.
Since I'm an "undecided" at the moment, I was asked to give an interview for the local Argus-Champion paper. The nice young reporter, Phillip, diligently wrote everything down I said so check it out next Wednesday. Hopefully, he won't misquote me on anything, but then, hey, I've been called names and misquoted before. Likely, I've misquoted people as well. I hope I don't do that here, but I'm a lefty, took some notes in shorthand and longhand and wrote a lot while I was listening to Mitt.
I really wanted to ask him if his father was a baseball fan and that's why he named him Mitt. However, it seemed there were much more pressing issues to address during the Q&A so I refrained. But, I'm still curious. Does anybody know?
I spoke with one of the nice young staffers, Christy I think, first and queried her on some war issues. She was well-prepared and knew her stuff. I had previously been sent some info on Gov. Romney's stance on major social issues, immigration, and protecting traditional marriage from the very nice, Emily Cantin, one of the field reps, whom I also had the pleasure of meeting.
Please take all of this with a grain of salt, but I think this is the gist of what Gov. Romney had to say about a lot of different things.
I met him outside first and introduced myself and asked him if I could ask him a question about the war. He said, of course, I'll call on you during the Q&A.
One thing for certain is that he definitely looks like Presidential material and has the demeanor, a strong handshake, and seems very comfortable in his own skin. He was tan and perfectly coifed, of course. In fact, with temps in the 90's and high humidity my long, thick, rather coarse, just washed hair was starting to frizz a bit and I wanted to ask him what hair product he recommends for smoothing out one's hair since his looked so sleek and smooth with just the right amount of graying so as to look distinguished.
Click here for more.
Governor Mitt Romney and Children
Governor Mitt Romney and Children Quotes
"The total education of our children is the measure of a generation's success or failure," said Romney. "We need to make sure our education system takes our kids from kindergarten all the way to being qualified for a good paying job." 02-26-2003 Press Release
Governor Mitt Romney and Children Press Releases
2006
- 03-21-2006; Poutre panel recommends reforms in child welfare system
2005
- 05-25-2005; Healey pushes tool to protect children from sex offenders
- 10-19-2005; Governor Mitt Romney lauds nation-topping performance by Massachusetts students
- 12-15-2005; Governor Mitt Romney awards free tuition to 14,000 Massachusetts students
- 12-21-2005; Healey kicks off student drug testing program in new bedford
2004
- 08-27-2004; heads up: Healey signs law requiring helmets for kids
- 01-20-2004; Governor Mitt Romney opens door to college for top scoring students
- 01-22-2004; Healey details plan to remove disruptive students from class
- 02-20-2004; Governor Mitt Romney applauds students for early MCAS preparation
- 05-23-2004; Commencement address to the students of Suffolk University
- 12-10-2004; 13,000 Massachusetts students win free college tuition
2003
- 04-07-2003; Governor Mitt Romney winsstudent support for higher education plan
- 04-30-2003; 86 percent of vocational students pass MCAS
- 09-03-2003; Governor Mitt Romney lauds students' high scores on 2003 MCAS
Ravi Zacharias on a Mormon in the White House
Ravi Zacharias on a Mormon in the White House July 25, 2007
Posted by Paul Edwards in Ravi Zacharias , Mitt Romney, Mormonism. trackback
What we want is a politician who will understand the basic Judeo-Christian world view, and on the basis of that the moral laws of this nation are framed, and then run this country with the excellence of that which is recognized in a pluralistic society: the freedom to believe or to disbelieve, and the moral framework with which this was conducted: the sanctity of every individual life.
If we are looking for a minister to run this country just look back and see what havoc sometimes has happened when the church got aligned totally with the state. That's not what we want. We want political leadership that is wise, political leadership that frames itself on the moral framework of God and recognizing that you cannot dictate political ideaology to all of humanity. That's why Jesus refused to run for office, that was not what his mission was about. His mission was to change hearts.
But as you look back at the book of Kings and Chronicles you see one difference between every king: either they followed the Lord with their whole heart and blessing came; or they turned their backs upon God and then the entailments were there. And that's what will happen to this country.
Would we rather have someone who is a total secularist? Is that what people are asking for? Are we looking for someone who would run this the way he would run a bishoprick or something? I think we should ask the hard questions of everybody, be it Mitt Romney or anyone else and see if the framework of the value of human life and the moral framework of the Judeo-Christian world view, (which is the only moral framework under which this country could have been framed. It was not framed under a Hindu framework. It was not framed under a Muslim framework, not framed under a Buddhist or a naturalistic framework) that we are all created equal, that liberty and justice and all of those terms that I've given only make sense within the Judeo-Christian world view.
Created? Equal? Naturalism does not tell us we are equal. Naturalism does not tell us we are created. Liberty? Islam does not believe in the total liberty of the individual. Equal? Hinduism believes in the caste system. The Judeo-Christian world view is the only world view that could frame this country. And so I think as we elect, we go before God and see out of the candidates who will be the best one to represent the values and at the same time be a good leader for the country whose first responsibility should be to protect its citizens.
This is a great country and the challenges we face are immense to a point where this country could be totally mangled with the onslaught of a rabid atheism ala Christopher Hitchens, Samuel Harris, Richard Dawkins, those kinds of vociferous, acerbic writers in our time who would like to strip the notion of God completely from our culture. For Sam Harris to actually say if he had a magic wand to eradicate religion or eradicate rape, he would eradicate religion tells you the kind of mindset, and his book is in the top ten bestseller list of the New York Times. There's a rabid atheism out there and there's a rabid Islamic extremism out there and the secularism combined with that. I've responded to Sam Harris in a book which will be released in the early part of next year. I've said to him basically his choice is not going to be between religion and secularism. His choice is going to be between Islam and Christianity. Secularism has no staying power and has proven itself in Europe today. Europe is on the decline and on the demise and it's only a matter of time before Islam would take a foothold there unless the Christian world view reemerges.
SC for the huckster says this:
SC for the huckster says this:
"Our second candidate in the spotlight is former Governor Mitt Romney who served 1 term as the Governor of Massachusetts. Compared to that of Mike Huckabee who has 10 ½ years of executive experience as the Governor of Arkansas."I don't think the huckster wants to get in the business of comparing resumes.
Mass has 6 million people, Ark has 2. So Romney was governor of more people for more years (24 million man-years... is that a new term?). Outside of government... do we even need to go there? What the Hell has the huckster ever done, beside attract elmer fud looking supporters like this guy? You go dude. You hunt those things with your dog. That is awsome. You go. That is the most important thing we need in our next president... someone who can attract elmer fud...
Elmer Fud has a bachelors degree in 2½ years before attending Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas! OMG! OMG! That sounds presidential? Mitt Romney only has an MBA and JD with honors from Harvard... Romney was only a baker scolar, and only graduated cum laude from harvard law school... butter go with the guy from SBTS! Yeah, lets go with the elmer fud dude...
Fiscal record
Huckabee has been criticized for his fiscal record as governor. He increased state spending 65.3 percent from 1996 to 2004. He has also supported numerous tax hikes, prompting some conservative critics to accuse him of being a liberal in disguise.[27] The Cato Institute, a libertarian non-profit public policy research foundation, [28] gave him an F grade for spending and tax policy in 2006, and an overall grade of D for his governorship. [29]
Upon entering office, Romney faced a $3 billion deficit. Facing an immediate fiscal crisis, the Governor asked the state legislature for emergency powers to make "9C" cuts to the fiscal year 2003 budget. Romney cut spending and restructured state government.[23]Massachusetts finished 2004 with a $700 million surplus and 2005 with a $500 million surplus. [31] [32]
Which one of these is not like the others?
Anyone else think that it is funny that Romney mentioned that video as one of his favorites?
Click here for the link.
If anyone cares (these are the dog days of summer, and not much is going on) "doublespeakshow" has some weird stuff. One of them is labeled "switch" about Bloomberg switching from D to R to I. They are liberal, because of this video. Nice logic "doubelspeak". No on in Wisconsin could possible be a terrorist!Popular Posts
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