Mitt Romney Questions Obama Troop Withdrawal, Says He’d Vote for Rick Perry
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Republican presidential candidate former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney asks the crowd to be seated as he receives a warm welcome during a campaign stop at Hopkinton Town Hall, in Hopkinton, N.H. on Oct. 10, 2011. (Steven Senne/AP Photo)
MANCHESTER, N.H., — At a campaign stop in the Granite State today, former Mass. Governor Mitt Romney questioned whether President Barack Obama’s decision to withdraw troops from Iraq entirely by the end of the year was “due to politics or ineptitude.”
“The president indicated and his administration indicated over the summer and fall that they were working to have a status of forces agreement that would keep troops in place either 20,000 down to maybe 3,000 over some extended period to make sure there was an effective transition to the Iraqi military,” said Romney. “They indicated they were working on that effort and they either failed to do it by virtue of ineptitude or they decided it wasn’t that important politically or otherwise.”
Romney said that the commanders on the ground would be the only ones who would be able to explain what he dubbed a “sudden change of policy” and wondered out loud whether “the president’s administration was out negotiated by the Iraqi leaders.”
But when asked what he would have done differently, Romney avoided specifics, saying only that he believes in “asking the commanders on the ground and understand from them what the timetable is from them.”
Romney also leap to defend Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who was recently accused of embellishing the details of his family’s history.
“I have the highest respect for Marco Rubio I think his family’s history having coming to this country speaks for itself,” said Romney.
Rubio’s name has been floated as a potential running mate for the GOP nominee, and is known to have a good relationship with Romney.
“This is a family who came with nothing and Marco Rubio and his family deserve the highest praise and recognition,” added Romney. “I think the world of Marco Rubio and support him entirely and think the effort to try to smear him was unfortunate and bogus.”
Having avoided mentioning any of his GOP rivals by name during brief remarks delivered to the volunteers making calls for his campaign, Romney was asked by a member of the press if he believes Texas Gov. Rick Perry has the “intelligence” to be president.
“I do,” quipped Romney. “I believe every single person on the stage in that last debate would do a better job than President Obama. If Rick Perry were the nominee I’d be voting for him. I, of course believe he’s qualified, as are the other people on the stage.”
Romney also took to the phones himself during the campaign stop, going as far as soliciting advice from the voters on the other end of the line, asking “How do you think I’m doing,” before adding, “Have a great Saturday!”
But the event wasn’t without a hiccup – Romney misdialed and ended up on the phone with the wrong person.
When he realized that the person he had called was not, in fact, the sheriff he thought he had reached, Romney said,
“Uh…it’s the wrong number…Well, have you ever heard of Mitt Romney? Well that’s me, I’m on the phone, How are you doing today?”
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Typical hypocrite Mitt Romney …he advocates staying in Iraq, Afghanistan and for attacking IRAN, bemoans the ending of the Iraq War having no problem sending everyone else’s sons and daughters into harms way. Yet NONE OF HIS FIVE ADULT SONS has ever offered to serve in any capacity in our volunteer military service. Mitt’s explanation “my sons are showing their support for the country by helping me get elected”. Does anyone else see a huge Romney character flaw in this picture?
Mitt Romney….”poster boy” for the 1%.
Posted by: Paul | October 22, 2011, 3:42 pm 3:42 pm
Yeah RIGHT… He’s voting for himself, what a liar. Talking out BOTH sides of his mouth again.
Posted by: Tony | October 22, 2011, 4:02 pm 4:02 pm
“due to politics or ineptitude.”
The only ineptitude I can see is Mr. Romney demonstrating an incomplete understanding of constitutional law. Perhaps he’s having money problems. Anyone that would publicly claim they’d vote for Rick Perry, The Deadliest Governor in the Nation is conspicuously inept.
Posted by: American Citizen | October 22, 2011, 4:03 pm 4:03 pm
I’m with Mitt.I have no problem with a Senator embellishing his famile history to create a tacky legend. And it is obviously always a good idea to let military people make all decisions concerning wars and manpower. They are sure to be objective, smart and wise.
Posted by: Erlen Willouby | October 22, 2011, 4:06 pm 4:06 pm
and I thought Romney had a bit more intelligence than to vote for the Texas corporate stooge. Guess he isnt any better.
Posted by: Diogenes | October 22, 2011, 4:15 pm 4:15 pm
Oh goodness – one moron would vote for the other one.
Is there a news story in here somewhere?
Posted by: Scott Lee | October 22, 2011, 4:30 pm 4:30 pm
All these candidates care about is being back in power. I just find it ironic that the Senate Republicans all said they couldn’t fix the economy and it wasn’t governments job (right after the won back the senate promising jobs), so now we are suppose to ignore that, cut SS, medicare and anything that benefits the middle class so we can give more to the wealthy and continue the status quo on healthcare and trickle down economics. The survival of this country is down to this election.
Posted by: D | October 22, 2011, 4:35 pm 4:35 pm
If Perry wins the nomination, of course, Romney would vote for him. Whoever wins the Repupublican Nomination will get the vote of the reset of the candidates. There’s nothing to embellish here, oh, it’s ABC. If troops are pulled out of Iraq by the end of the year, Iran will be inside Iraq in 2012, then we can go back with air strikes and put an end to Iran. For this reason, pulling the troops out makes sense.
Posted by: Stephan | October 22, 2011, 4:49 pm 4:49 pm
One thing is for certain……..Barack Obama is going to go down in history, as the worst President in history, surpassing even the infamous Jimmy Carter, as the most destructive person to the American economy, ever.
Obama has squandered more money, than all of the other President’s combined, through nothing more than pure wasteful spending, without any oversight of how the money was used, whatsoever.
Posted by: Rick McDaniel | October 22, 2011, 5:43 pm 5:43 pm
Mitt is ONLY interested in Mitt. He’s an bubbled-headed elite who’s obsessed with status. He could careless about the average working man and woman. What’s his greatest accomplishment? giving workers the Pink slip.
Posted by: Sam Andersen | October 22, 2011, 7:32 pm 7:32 pm
All you Mitt haters should search long & hard to find something you like about the guy – he’s gonna be your President for the next 4 years. An obvious upgrade from Obama’s circus of a presidency.
Posted by: Devan e. | October 22, 2011, 8:08 pm 8:08 pm
Mitt who? I turn away the seventh day adventist when they troll my neighborhood, certainly not going to be a Mormon president. I am not religious, but the mainstream voters and esp. the bible belt are not going to elect him. He can vote for the even less electable perry gun-totting-texas-crazy. I’m voting for PRESIDENT OBAMA 2012.
Posted by: Jo in Minneapolis | October 23, 2011, 9:34 am 9:34 am
All you Mitt haters should search long & hard to find something you like about the guy – he’s gonna be your President for the next 4 years. Posted by: Devan e. | October 22, 2011, 8:08 pm.
Really? So which Mitt do you think it will be, exactly? The one who was pro-choice, or the one who is anti-choice now? The one who supported an Individual Mandate for health care? Or the one who is against it today? The one who was for ‘cap and trade’? Or the guy who is against it today? The guy who was for amnesty for illegal immigrants? Or the one who is against it today? The guy who said, “‘I don’t line up with the NRA.”? Or the guy who is an NRA member today? The guy who supported raising the minimum wage to keep pace with inflation? Or the guy who claims that raising the minimum wage causes job losses? The guy who said, about the capital gains tax, that it is “a tax cut for fat cats”? Or the guy who said “I believe the tax on capital gains should be zero”. The guy who supported TARP? Or the guy who complained about TARP? The guy who said the Stimulus worked? Or the guy who said the Stimulus failed?
Which Mitt do you think it would be…..?
Posted by: Searambler | October 23, 2011, 9:35 am 9:35 am
Well said Jo and Searambler. I would just add Romney is now courting Rubio as a vp?? Rubio is the definition of the Tea party, just ask him. He won the Republican wave in Florida because of his I’m a child of immigrants from Cuba crap. Come to find out that his parents came from Cuba in 1956 just like mine. They were’nt fleeing Castro, they were looking for a better life, period. Rubio says things like Romney and then denies he said them. They both stand for continuing the embargo in Cuba even though Cuba is beginning to drill for oil in their gigantic reserves. Hello, JOBS??? Republicans will say “We must maintain” the embargo on Cuba. What? its 2011 the Soviet Cold War era has been over for decades. You have to look at the entire field of republicans and ask yourself, that guy/gal is gonna be the next President of the United States?? Are you on crack???? PRESIDENT OBAMA 2012, the sane one!!
Posted by: Tampa Mike | October 23, 2011, 10:35 am 10:35 am
The GOP field should just draw names out of a hat for candidates: 1. Secretary of Defense, 2. Secretary of State, 3. Vice-President and 4. President, since they are all better than the current President. Why waste campaign funds?
Posted by: Kenneth the VI of Minneapolis | October 23, 2011, 12:18 pm 12:18 pm
Who is a bigger flip flopper John Kerry or Mitt Romney?
Posted by: Kenneth the VI of Minneapolis | October 23, 2011, 12:23 pm 12:23 pm
The republican candidates are trying to play nice now, after the fiasco in Las Vegas. The next debate will be nothing but more Obama slamming. When they try to discuss serious issues they come off as clowns. I’ll bet Huntsman wins the New Hampshire primary simply because he had the sense to stay out of the Vegas debate.
Posted by: tmferretti | October 24, 2011, 3:04 pm 3:04 pm
Mitt Romney is the only one who can turn our economy around. He is a man of great moral character and honor. He is a class act. The attacks upon him are just name callers who tear others down to prop up their own agendas.
Posted by: Ron | October 25, 2011, 3:28 am 3:28 am