‘The View’ Couch Not So Cozy for Romney

ABC News’ Teddy Davis reports: Mitt Romney bounded onto the set of ABC’s “The View” this morning, perhaps expecting a light chat about his new book and possible presidential run. But once the former Massachusetts governor settled onto the couch, he got a couple of pointed questions which went to the heart of his criticism of President Obama’s foreign policy. “What’s wrong with trying to start fresh and reach out?” That’s what ABC’s Barbara Walters asked Romney. The title of Romney’s new book is “No Apology: The Case for American Greatness.” It’s a not-so-subtle jab at the visits President Obama made overseas when he first took office; trips which Romney derides as the “American Apology Tour.” Romney told Walters “there’s no harm in going out and talking to other people. That’s always important.” Romney then added, however, that his gripe with Obama is that he “actually said on Arabic TV that America has dictated to other nations.” “Look, America has not dictated to other nations,” said Romney. “We have freed other nations from dictators. We have nothing to apologize for in terms of America’s great contribution to the world. . . .” Joy Behar, one of the co-hosts on “The View,” agreed with part of what she heard. She told Romney, however, that “not everybody would agree that we liberated Iraq.  Not everybody agrees with that — a lot of people think we imposed our will on Iraq.” Romney never directly engaged Behar’s point about Iraq. Instead, he shifted the discussion to the worldwide conflagration which ended 65 years ago. “I didn’t, I didn’t, I actually — I don’t know — But I think we can all agree that we liberated France,” said Romney. “You mean World War II?” asked an incredulous Behar. “I wasn’t born yet,” she added (which may not be technically true). By the end of the interview, Behar and Romney were playing nice. In fact, she told him that he and Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., were “both hunky.” The exchange, however, did call attention to the fact that Romney’s book does not say much about US missteps in Iraq. The closest he comes to scrutinizing the US-led invasion comes on page 11 when he simply writes:  “We were wrong in our assessment of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction programs.” Editor’s note: The headline of this story is an intentional play on a terrific story which ran on the New York Times’ Caucus blog during the 2008 campaign: “‘The View’ Couch Not So Cozy for McCain.” The full story by Kit Seelye can be read HERE. Read a full ABC News review of Romney’s book HERE. ABC News’ Matt Loffman contributed to this report.