Political Hotsheet
By

Alexandra Jaffe /

CBS News/ May 8, 2012, 10:34 PM

Romney attacks Obama on foreign policy, women's issues

Does Romney deserve credit for GM's turnaround?

(CBS News) -- Mitt Romney issued a broad attack on President Obama on Tuesday night, criticizing everything from the president's position on women's issues to his foreign policy stance to his politicization of the killing of Osama bin Laden while framing himself as the "underdog" fighting against a behemoth of a campaign.

Speaking on Fox News' Hannity, Romney expressed relief that the hard-fought primary season was finally coming to a close and that the GOP establishment had finally begun to coalesce around him.

"We've got a long way to go. The first chapter of the process seems to be over and we're coming together," he said. Though former opponent Rick Santorum endorsed Romney late Monday night, the former Massachusetts governor dismissed rumors of a tour of former opponents in support of him.

He said, though, that he's "got a long way to go," and admitted that Obama's war chest and organization was formidable.

"Against an incumbent with a billion dollars he's raising, with an extraordinary machine that'll be attacking me on a personal basis day by day, that we're the underdogs. That we're gonna have to fight very, very hard to break through the clutter of the charges and the attacks and the efforts to dissuade people from looking at his record," he said.

Those charges, Romney said, were part of an "incendiary effort on the part of the Obama team" that he doesn't expect to "connect with the American people" - they'll merely rile up Obama's base. Romney's indictment of Obama's negativity comes amid a $25 million ad buy just made by the Obama campaign that is marked by a concerted effort to paint Obama in a positive light, while avoiding -- thus far -- Romney attacks.

Romney later went on to lambast Obama for trying to "make friends with some of the world's worst actors," rather than what he says he sees as the right path for America internationally: "Communicate our strength, our determination, and indicate if people want to be friends with America, that they're going to have to hold to the principles that we find dear." And for Romney, Syria is "one of the great opportunities for America, and for the world, right now," and a place where America should lead to take down Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.

And he said it was "misguided and wrong and dishonest" to suggest that Republicans didn't have respect for women of all walks of life, saying instead that it was Obama's policies that had failed women. Romney offered as evidence Obama's decision to deploy a cartoon, rather than real women, to tout his policies.

"I think this little cartoon they have on the life of 'Julia' really reveals the weakness of the president's policies. I think to have to defend your record by coming up with a cartoon character, as opposed to real people, suggests that he doesn't want to talk about his record at all," he said.

On his running-mate pick, Romney remained mum, only echoing familiar criteria.

"You have to make sure the person who is vice president, number two in line, is a person of capacity that could lead the country if necessary," he said.

© 2012 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
32 Comments Add a Comment
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nigle77 says:
Look at Mitt Romney when Mitt was 18 years old !!
do not forget what "G.W.Bush done to the American-peopel from
2001 to 2008 !
1) with the Help of Mitt Romney, and the Republicans !
2) G.W.Bush sents the American-people jobs
3) "Over-Sea & to China, also to Mexico
4) Mitt Romney did the same thing all so
5) Do ypo think that Mitt Romney care about you & your Mother & Father !
6) for your Kids, think about what I put down.

Thank you for your time
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nigle77 says:
There are Three Tpyes of Repibluicans:
1) Millionaires: (look at Romney he have so much Money "OverSea)
2) Sucker: (Look at November 2,2010 ! where is the jobs)
3) Lier (The GOP told the people that there will be jobs)
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lg144 says:
agentzer007 is the typical teabagging republican supporters.They don't argue, they just argue.
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WHAT-IS-HE-SMOKING says:
So he wants to go to war with Syria, just like Bush wanted to go to war with Iraq. Will he send his son's to war?
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Mozande says:
Romney is a lying thief. What can you expect from a Jesus stealing Mormon. They're not Latter Day Saints. They're heretical thieves, that were left to do the dirty work of getting rid of the Native Americans and Mexicans of the far and South West.
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bilrobi1 says:
Mr.Romney is basing this on his vast experience with foreign policy?
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adrienne4newkirk says:
Romney as we all know doesn't have a women's or a foreign policy.

He asks his wife on issues like this.
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TobyPogi says:
It's election year , what else is new, This is the sign of desperation for the GOP , Romney has a nerve to criticized President Obama about foreign policy. does this guy has a foreign policy back ground ? ooooh yeah... Foreign Bank accounts yes .. That's the facts. I can't wait for the Presidential debates,lets see what "Willard" has to say.
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BlameRepublicanz says:
it doesnt matter what Romney says about any issue....the out of touch mormon stiff who thinks Wal Mart is a person who has been uber wealthy since the womb will never be President, ever.
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lg144 says:
A new book by Robert Draper titled "Do Not Ask What Good We Do" documents how republicans conspired to block everything President Obama proposes to bring the country out of the economic mess that republicans created. Why aren't reporters asking republicans why voters should reward them with votes for their unpatriotic, despicable, treasonous acts?

Republican teabagging extremist bigoted insurgents like B itch McConnell can't accept a Black Democratic president and are being uncooperative doing everything in their power to make sure he fails.

President Obama's biggest mistake was expecting republicans to bargain in good faith when in reality they are sabotaging anything President Obama does that might help average Americans at every turn in order to defeat him. Republicans have more allegiance to Grover Norquist and his pledge of never raise taxes under any circumstance than the constitution and country. Whatever happened to country first. F"ing treasonous republican hypocrites.

When is the media going to start reporting and asking republicans about why they conspired to block everything President Obama proposed to help struggling Americans and bring our great nation out of the economic mess they created? And on the very day President Obama was inaugurated no less.
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BlameRepublicanz replies:
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AMEN Ig...they have put party first since January 2009...they admitted this themselves over and over when they slip up and tell the truth by accident
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