Evan Vucci/AP Photo

POWELL, Ohio - Mitt Romney offered a sarcastic preview of the upcoming convention speeches, though it was President Obama's speech and not his own that he decided to focus on today in Ohio.

"I know the president's going to go to that convention he's going to have all sorts of marvelous things to say," said Romney at a rally alongside his running mate Rep. Paul Ryan. "I mean I can almost read his speech now."

"It'll just be, it'll be filled with promises and tell people how wonderful things are, of course they'll have to contrast that with what they know they're experiencing," he said. " But as he lays out all of these wonderful things he's going to do, people are going to stop and say but how are you going to do something different than last time. They've experienced the last four years."

Romney also used protesters who stood nearby screaming "Go Home Romney!" to link President Obama's speech during the 2008 convention to the economic downfall in Europe.

"I happen to hear this faint sound in the distance," said Romney, in front of a crowd of thousands in a local park. "And it- It actually - It actually reminds me a bit of the president's address four years ago, speaking to the convention in Denver because he was speaking in front of those Greek columns, remember that? And this is kind of like the Greek chorus in the background. Everything they do reminds us of Greece and we're not going to Greece we're going to get America back to being America!"

Romney also gave a glimpse into his nighttime reading regime, telling the crowd here that he "pulled out [Obama's] speech last night."

"I'm not kidding, I pulled out his speech that he gave in Denver," he said. "It's really a brilliant speech. He says marvelous things. He just hasn't done them. My guess is a few weeks from now he'll be speaking at the Bank of America Arena - he won't call it that - he'll be in Charlotte. He probably won't put Greek columns up behind him. He won't want to remind us of that either. But he will have all sorts of promises to offer again. He'll tell you how much better things are now, but you know this time we have more than just the words."

On Hugh Hewitt's radio show Friday night, Romney said that his own speech is still being developed, calling it a "work in progress, kind of early stage."

"I'm still working hard," Romney said of his speech, which he is expected to work on at his lakeside home in New Hampshire this weekend.

Romney will address the Republican National Convention on Thursday night.