Mitt Romney addresses a gathering of neighbors inside a home in Bedford, New Hampshire, Saturday, January 5, 2008. (Darin Oswald/MCT)
by Rick Pearson
BEDFORD, N.H.—Republican Mitt Romney, who had previously criticized rival Mike Huckabee for labeling the Bush White House foreign strategy as an "arrogant bunker mentality," told guests at a house party today that U.S. diplomacy has been dominated by a "our way or the highway" approach.
Speaking in front of the fireplace in the family room of Rich and Laurie Ashooh, the house filled with supporters, the curious and Fox's Bill O'Reilly and a video crew on the second floor, Romney also challenged main New Hampshire rival John McCain as someone who's had a chance to change Washington and failed.
Ashooh is a top executive of BAE Systems, a major high-tech electronic aerospace and defense systems manufacturer that is New Hampshire's largest employer.
Romney, trying to overcome his second place finish in the Iowa caucuses and badly in need of a victory, said his experience in government, the Salt Lake City Olympics and as a successful businessman will help him deal with making hard foreign policy decisions.
"I've traveled, of course, a great deal around the world. I lived outside the country. I've done business in over 20 countries. I know something about negotiating and sitting there with people across the table, making friends with other people," the former Massachusetts governor said.
"We have too much of a 'it's our way or the highway' attitude as we go around the world. When you're working with people in other nations, foreign policy is no longer the way it was last century. We got a lot of people really good at foreign policy in the 20th century—which was more like checkerboards, our side versus their side. And we jump them and they jump us back," he said.
”Now it's more like three-dimensional chess. We have to have the capacity to build relationships of very differing nations across a wide array of populations and that capacity I have and will bring with me people of great skill and experience to help advise so I can listen to their perspectives," Romney said.
It was only a few weeks ago that the Romney campaign was in an uproar over Huckabee's article in Foreign Affairs magazine in which the former Arkansas governor labeled the Bush foreign policy the result of an "arrogant bunker mentality." Romney said Huckabee should apologize to President Bush, prompting Huckabee to say that he didn't believe Romney read what was written.
Romney also repeatedly pounded on the theme of "change" far beyond the way he did in his months of campaigning in Iowa, spending millions of dollars in ads and staffing only to leave the state with an unsuccessful result.
Though not as sharp in his criticism of McCain as in his TV ads, Romney also challenged McCain's ability to make needed government change—which Romney said was the leading message to come out of Iowa where "the person who is most known for all of his years in Washington, John McCain, he came in fourth" and Hillary Clinton "lost to the new guy," Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois.
"People want to see real change. They do not want to see the same faces, just in different chairs," Romney said. "
"I respect the other fellows in this race. Some have been in this battle for years and years but they haven't been able to bring change. They've had their chance," Romney said. "Let's let someone new, who's had a whole lifetime of changing things, actually go to Washington and deliver."
Romney pleaded for people to recruit their friends and show up at the polls Tuesday to bring change.
"There's only one thing I really need in order to make it happen--and that's all your money and all your votes," Romney said. "Just kidding about the money part, but I do need your votes."
Harry Lacas, a health care analyst, who watched the former Massachusetts governor talk from the Ashooh's kitchen, said bringing change "just for change's sake" isn't what he wants to see and historically hasn't worked. Instead, he said he believed Romney would bring stability and appreciated the candidate's business credentials.
"He has that type of business acumen that's required in today's environment. I definitely like the business aspect of it," Lacas said. "We live in a society where capitalism—that's what our country's based on. And we're all shareholders in that capitalism. And unless you have someone who's going to go in there and balance the socialism with the capitalism, you're back to chaos again."
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Comments
Plastic Mitt is flip-flopping again.
This nutty serial liar has, just like John McCrazy, backed everything that BushCo has done.
Willard Mitt found out in Iowa that he couldn't buy peoples votes and now he's getting worried.
Posted by: John E | January 5, 2008 2:54 PM
Would I vote for Mitt Romney? No. Do I feel his assessment of the last seven years of foreign affairs is absolutely right on? Yes.
I don't know if this was Bush's reaction to doing everything opposite of Clinton, or just his ineptness, but either way Romney is summing up Bush's diplomacy in my exact words.
Whoever the next President is, they can't be any worse than Bush.
Perhaps we are finally going to see the end of the PNAC view of how to get along in the world.
Posted by: dogjudge | January 5, 2008 3:23 PM
Romney has a good point. Just giving John McCain a different seat to sit in won't get anything done. McCain is a great patriot, but no executive. He doesn't know how to run anything. Senators just listen to their advisers and vote. A President has to be able to lead and create strategies for the problems he faces.
Looks like Romney is winning in Wyoming, the second Caucus (happening today!).
http://content.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/results.aspx?sp=wy&oi=p&rti=e
Posted by: A Burns | January 5, 2008 3:40 PM
Romney definitely has a good range of experience working across the nation and around the world in business. McCain has some good experience in Washington and Huckabee has had a little in Arkansas, but Romney definitely takes the cake in this catagory.
Posted by: Steve Allen | January 5, 2008 3:42 PM
Romney has the only fresh approach to solving problems in Washington. He knows how to get a job done. He is not getting fair or positive coverage on the networks.
Posted by: Kaye Halliday | January 5, 2008 4:09 PM
If they can't face FOX News, how can they face Al Qaeda? Remember that one?
State GOP withdraws as FOX debate partner
"UnionLeader.com has learned that the New Hampshire Republican Party has quit as a co-sponsor of tomorrow night's nationally televised GOP forum on FOX News".
"The 8 p.m. event at Saint Anselm College -- the last debate before Tuesday's primary -- had become controversial when FOX refused to include Ron Paul".
http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=State+GOP+withdraws+as+FOX+debate+partner&articleId=fecf75e6-240c-4ef4-80f0-637736adf6fd
Posted by: John E | January 5, 2008 4:13 PM
Mitt Romney's name should be "Proteus" for all the different shapes he assumes.
Posted by: David | January 5, 2008 4:42 PM
Absolutely unbelievable....another flip-flop???!!!
He ripped Huckabee less than two weeks ago for the very same thing.
Romney just needs to go.
Posted by: Rifle | January 5, 2008 4:45 PM
Please tell me you're kidding. He jumps all over Huckabee for saying something, then says the same thing a few weeks later? Does Romney really believe anything for longer than a month?
Posted by: Chris | January 5, 2008 5:10 PM
Here we go again with slick Mitt trying to repackage himself into something the American people will buy. Sorry but we don't, everybody knows that Mitt is a liar and he is only out to help his big business friends.
GO HUCKABEE
Posted by: Derek | January 5, 2008 5:59 PM
Mr. Romney,
It is a breath of fresh air to hear you speak of greater diplomacy. The US has destroyed much of its goodwill with its allies with the warmonging attitude that resulted in the Iraq war. Certainly a different direction is required.
Unfortunately, your colleague Mr. McCain seems to be bent on following the failed strategies of the past. His "experience" with foriegn affairs will, if he becomes the next president, certainly lead to more failed foreign policy.
Is it "negative" to lift the phrase "arrogant bunker mentality" from Mr. McCain's newfound friend to describe Mr. McCain's foreign policy?
Posted by: Tom | January 5, 2008 6:06 PM
Yeah, right, he just wants to double the size of Gitmo? Maybe take the gloves off himself and put the hurt on a bad guy, any bad guy.
Posted by: The Lenin Sisters | January 5, 2008 6:28 PM
Looks like the Republics are dropping Willard faster than a dog turd at a Easter egg hunt.
Posted by: C.Morris | January 5, 2008 7:01 PM
Romney is more of a fake than Giuliani and that takes some doing.
Posted by: Steve J. | January 5, 2008 10:45 PM
The former Arkansas governor earned his Huckster nickname as well as a great YouTube moment of shame when he challenged Romney’s support of the troop surge during ABC’s New Hampshire debate.
During the debate he attacked Romney with this boldfaced lie: “I supported the surge and you didn’t.”
The YouTube clip shows exactly how dishonest Huckabee is. Two weeks after Romney had issued a January 2007 press release supporting the surge; the Huckster did an interview deliberately distinguishing himself from other candidates by withholding support for the surge.
In the Jan. 24, 2007 interview on MSNBC’s “Live,” Norah O’Donnell asks:
“We have a Rudy Giuliani, who supports the president’s plan on Iraq. We have Governor Mitt Romney, who also supports a troop surge. How are you different from any of those candidates?”
Huckabee: “Well, I’m not sure that I support the troop surge, if that surge has to come from our Guard and Reserve troops, which have really been overly stretched.”
Posted by: WakeWashington | January 6, 2008 8:30 AM
In the real world, the world the DNC Swamp won't report on, Mitt Romney swept the Wyoming Republican caucuses, picking up 6 of the 8 delegates being chosen.
Posted by: Bruce | January 6, 2008 10:05 AM
So, it's not OK with Willard if the Huckster says it but, it's alright if he does...rrright.
You know there's a serious disconnect when a candidate equates business with foreign affairs and policy. He doesn't have the first clue of the deep complexity of relationships we have with each and every country in the world...some much more than others.
Business is only a small portion of the issues involved and several countries that come to mind would make mincemeat out of Willard Romney on the very first meeting...Willard's completely out of his league on this subject with absolutely no qualifications OR experience to handle it.
If you own a Wendy's hire Willard as your manager but, keep him far away from our White House.
Posted by: Winghunter | January 6, 2008 3:04 PM
No surprise there. Consistency is key with him. He is the most consistent flip flopper on the GOP side.
Posted by: Shane Vander Hart | January 6, 2008 11:35 PM
Any other future President can't be as bad as Bush? You gotta be fooling yourself. The next President could be easily worst if you don't vote with your brain!
Posted by: Lou | January 7, 2008 2:05 AM