2007-05-11 19:15:31 -
WASHINGTON, May 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following was released by the Democratic National Committee:
For months, Mitt Romney has been relentless in his campaign to convince Republican primary voters to ignore his real record by switching his views on everything from abortion, to tax cuts, to immigration reform -- even his own political heroes. But on Iraq, Romney has refused to offer a clear plan for the future, choosing instead to cling to the President's failed strategy and praise his leadership. Just last week, after President Bush vetoed Democratic legislation
that included a plan to change course in Iraq, Romney called the President to praise his decision. [
Politico.com, 5/3/07]
Now, with the American people rejecting the Bush plan and his own standing among Republican primary voters languishing in single digits in almost every national poll, Romney finally flipped on Iraq. According to media reports, Romney blasted President Bush in a 60 Minutes interview, saying that the American people are paying a price for President Bush's mishandling of the war. [CBSNews.com, 5/11/07]
"Mitt Romney's latest election year conversion can't hide the fact that his only plan for Iraq is more of the same failed Bush policy," said Democratic National Committee spokesman Damien LaVera. "Romney seems to think he can say anything to smooth talk his way to the Republican nomination, but does he really expect the American people to trust someone who flips faster than a hamburger at a barbeque?"
Mitt Romney's Iraq Flip-Flop
New Mitt: Americans Paying for Bush's Mistakes. "Mitt Romney says his fellow Republicans in the Bush White House made mistakes in Iraq that the country is still paying for ... 'I think the administration made a number of errors,' he tells Wallace. 'I don't think we were adequately prepared for what occurred. I don't think we did enough planning. I don't think we considered the various downsides and risks,' says Romney. He says President Bush isn't the only one to blame. 'He's the person where the buck stops, but it goes through the secretary of defense and the planning agencies, the Department of State -- it's the whole administration,' Romney says. 'They made mistakes ... and we're paying for those mistakes.'" [CBSNews.com, 5/11/07]
Old Mitt: Marching Arm-In-Arm With Bush on Iraq, Praised His "Principled Leadership." The day after the President vetoed the Iraq troop withdrawal bill, Romney called the President to offer his support and commend his leadership. An adviser to Romney said that the presidential contender telephoned to "commend the President for his veto" and praise his "principled leadership in the war on terror." Romney's adviser made it clear that the campaign was not seeking to distance itself from Bush. "On the eve of this debate," said the adviser on the significance of the call, "it says we're not running from this guy at all." [Politico.com, 5/3/07]
-- Romney: I Would Not Do it Differently from Bush. During an appearance
on the O'Reilly Factor, Mitt Romney said, "I wouldn't presume to
present a plan different from that of the President. But I believe he
was right to take on the war on terror on an aggressive front rather
than a defensive front. We toppled the government ... walking away
would mean a humanitarian disaster. We're there and we have a
responsibility to finish the job." [O'Reilly Factor, FNC, 9/27/06]
-- Romney Echoes Bush's Misleading Rhetoric on Iraq. "The troops surge is
the right way to go. There are early signs -- very early signs -- that
progress is being made. If those signs continue to hold and if we see
the kind of improvement in the capability of the Iraqi military, that
will be very, very encouraging. But at this stage, the signs are
positive, and it's a lot better than it would have been had we
continued the old policy or if we just walked away ... These early
stages show that we're making progress. And the American people, they
don't want us to just turn and run out of Iraq." [Mitt Romney on "The
Big Show," Fox News Channel, 4/3/07]
Paid for and authorized by the Democratic National Committee, http://www.democrats.org/. This communication is not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee
Source: Democratic National Committee
