Romney: Obama engaged in "character assassination"

(CBS News) Mitt Romney told CBS News Wednesday that despite calls from conservatives to be more aggressive, he is not going to engage in a campaign of "character assassination" - despite the Obama campaign's willingness to do so.

"This is a campaign, not about character assassination, even though that's what I think has come from the Obama camp by and large," Romney told CBS News' Jan Crawford before a rally in Toledo, Ohio. Crawford asked Romney if he was saying the Obama campaign was engaged in character assassination.

"Oh yeah, sure, they try and completely misrepresent my point of view, along with why I'm in this race," he said. "But I think fundamentally the American people are interested in who can make their life better. Who can make people get better jobs and better incomes. And I can. He's proven that he does not have the capability to do that."

Later, Crawford asked Romney if the mainstream media is "in the tank for President Obama," as many conservatives allege.

"Well, I think we have a system of free press, people are able to provide their own perspective based on their own beliefs, I think there's some people who are more in my camp, there's a lot of people who are more in his camp, and I don't worry about that," Romney responded.

Pressed, Romney added: "I don't think anybody in my business thinks they wouldn't like to re-write the stories, and write the media accounts in a way that's more favorable to them, but I don't worry about that. I take my message out, I know I'll have a chance through ads, through the debates, to get my message home to the American people."

For the full transcript of Jan Crawford's interview with Mitt Romney, see next page.

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[rkjones55]

Romney put an old fashioned ass whipping on Obama. He made him look like a kid who just had his candy bar stolen. Obama is just a political puppet and without his telepromter to feed him lines he is lost. Put your tail between your legs and crawl back to Chicago and let a real man show you how its done.

[Mick_from_Amsterdam]

"and say that ypu intended..."

See that, CBS...do you see what you caused? reply

[Mick_from_Amsterdam]

and say that ypu intended...

See that, CBS...do you see what you caused?

[ToolMangler1]

If Romney would quit being a Caricature, oops,,,, (Character), people would quit taking 'shots' at him..

[thetruth2000]

Even a rational person can see the character assassination. They have mischaracterized everything from Romney's time at Bain to his time as Governor. The only thing they haven't mischaracteized is his time running the Olympics - probably because he worked for free so it goes against their whole "Greedy rich guy" message. What I don't get is why the Romney campaign doesn't call them out on it - probably because everyone at media publications are former White House insiders who "left" after not getting the economy going while in the White House, and will twist things. The whole "pioneer of outsourcing" was manufactured by a former white house aide who is basically spreading Whtie House propoganda at the Washington Post. We are getting dangerously close to Iranian state owned TV.

[steamed2]

Obama campaign engaged in character assassination? OHMYGOD! Let's just stay with the most mindless 'in your-face' character assassination of a president in modern history, repeated over and over with the tacit approval of even high ranking Republican leaders with the intention of inflaming easily manipulated, narrow-minded and bigoted elements of their party. "Their candidate is a dirty (gasp) Muslim!" "He's not even an American and has no birth certificate!" He was born in (gasp) Kenya!" While in Mitt's case, least he only has to put up with what comes out of his own mouth. Trouble is, that's rather reminiscent of that scene from the movie Blazing Saddles and Mitt's the Sheriff trying to save himself from being hanged.

[zenia5]

@steamed.....how true. The rightwingnuts have called President Obama a communist, socialist, terrorist, and worse. They have ridiculed him and his family relentlessly for four years...and now have the gall to accuse him of character assassination???? How absurd.

[0blama]

Benghazi Gate
What we know.
1) Did not listen to Libyan intelligence before murders.
2) Lying to Americans that this was not a pre-planned attack for political reasons.
3) Almost no reporting by the media on the most important story in America for political reasons.
4) Stonewalling investigations by not allowing the FBI in Libya because it is not safe even though CNN and many others are there and have been almost from the beginning.
5) Disturbing e-mails to CNN as to not report what was in Amb. Stevens diary which indicated that he thought his life was in danger and that he was on an Al-Queda hit list.
6) The Vile Rat admission that his life was in danger.
7) Romney was right but you will never hear that from the media.
What else do we not know???

[DerKooser]

I believe it is more like Mit is engaging in Character Suicide. He just can't seem to stop his own mouth from shooting his self.

[cocomann15]

MITTY, YOU worthless piece of cardboard,, you have to have a character first....

[ge556]

I don't think we've ever had such a whiny presidential candidate before.