Romney, GOP blast Obama comments on Chavez

President Barack Obama, left, and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, right.

(CBS News) After facing a tough crowd at the NAACP convention Wednesday, Mitt Romney's campaign pivoted to attacks on President Obama, targeting his recent suggestion that he does not consider Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez a "serious" national security threat as "naive" and "out of touch."

"I was stunned by his comments, and shocked by them. This is Hugo Chavez, this is Venezuela," said Romney, in a statement released by the campaign Wednesday afternoon. "The idea that this nation, this president doesn't pose a national security threat to this country is simply naive. It's an extraordinary admission on the part of this president to be completely out of touch with what's happened in Latin America."

Earlier this week, when asked about the U.S. relationship with Venezuela in an interview with Miami journalist, Mr. Obama suggested that Chavez presented no major threat to the U.S.

"We're always concerned about Iran engaging in destabilizing activity around the globe, but overall, my sense is, that what Mr. Chavez has done over the last several years has not had a serious national security impact on us," Mr. Obama said.

"We have to be vigilant," he added, but said that his "main concern when it comes to Venezuela" has to do with a lack of "fair and free elections" there.

Chavez, a controversial and outspoken figure, touts close ties with Cuba and Iran. Earlier this year, he made a joint public appearance with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and according to the Telegraph joked about the two having "a big atomic bomb."

"Latin America is critical to America, United States of America," said Romney, of the president's remarks. "And the President needs to focus on what's happening there, what Chavez is doing, what the Castros are doing. These are people who call for terrible acts against America and to suggest that somehow this is isn't important is, I think, a very misguided and misdirected thought on the part of our President."

Republican Senator Marco Rubio, Fla., piling on to the criticism of Mr. Obama's comments, called it "disturbingly clear" that Mr. Obama "has been living under a rock when it comes to recognizing the national security threat posed by Venezuela's Hugo Chavez."

In the daily press briefing Wednesday, White House spokesperson Jay Carney deferred a question about Mr. Obama's comment to the State Department, saying that he hadn't read the story and didn't know "the underlying aspect of it."

But Ben LaBolt, Obama's campaign press secretary, contended that Romney's rebuke was merely "playing into" Chavez's hands.

"People like Hugo Chavez want attention - and that's exactly what Mitt Romney and his supporters gave him today," LaBolt said in a statement. "Governor Romney is only playing into the hands of Chavez by acting like he's ten feet tall."

[WHAT-IS-HE-SMOKING]

If Chavez and Venezuela is such a threat Mitty, then why do we allow CITGO to operate in the U.S.? It is owned by Venezuela!

[whatoiwer908724]

SWISS-MITT.

[euge005]

good grief, beat the drums, sound the call, the Commies are comming the commies are comming. Did this gomer get his script from Dr. Strange Love? Well I guess when you have nothing to offer but tips on hidding your wealth, you gotta go with any sort of smoke and mirrors you can. He needs to pay some honest taxes and stop worrying about the antique car elevator at the west coast mansion. The 99% are geetting screwed by these jerks.

[smirk5]

If Romney wins the Presidency, the neocons that make up his foreign policy advisers will have the U.S. mired down in a war with Iran. Now, that's something to really fear.

[smirk5]

Chavez is as much a danger to the U.S. as Saddam's fictional WMD were.

[euge005]

And the light weight Rubio is sucking up to this joke for what little it is worth. Shame they spend time on this and nothing on jobs. Trickle down has never worked and will never work......for the rest of us. It does great for the jobs in India and China and tax shelter cheats. Omama has the right ideas, invest in infrastructure, tax fairness and education. The GOP wants people stupid to help them strip voters rights and labor rights.

[Jaylah54200]

You know what, Mitt? I honestly don't freakin' care.

Here's what I've heard from you:

"I have a plan for heath care reform but I can't give you specifics."

"I have a plan for foreign policy but I can't give you specifics."

"I have a plan to turn the American economy around but I can't give you specifics."

"Obama is bad."

Listen, Mittens, unless you can start telling me specifics about what you would do as President (and not just what you'll undo), I really don't want to hear another word out of your mealy mouth.

[marychgo]

Why would anyone even THINK Mitt Romney is qualified to serve as President of the United States?

(Meanwhile, I guess I'm getting old: when I saw "Chavez" in the headline, I thought Mitt and his friends were getting hysterical about something Obama said about CESAR Chavez!)

[jackie-treehorn]

boy you people are ignorant...

[dannysteele]

Next, Mittens will be all over Mexico and Canada. After all, they're already at our borders! The Canadians are so sneaky, they already learned English so they can blend in and pass as Americans! But just wait, the signal will be given and they'll give us socialized medicine while we're sleeping!!!

And all that talk about Mexicans sneaking over the borders, you may think that they're interested in the construction and meat packing jobs, but they're really crack (no pun intended) military personnel, waiting to take over so our houses will be painted really funky colors!

In fact, there are rumors that the Canadians and Mexicans are working together. Their mission is called Operation Vice! You read it here first. You've been warned!

[nearl451]

Here's the extent ofthe hypocrisy.

When Bush was asked in 2007 about Osama Bin Laden, he stated that he wasn't all that concerned about him. No Repulican criticism in the least for that attitude.

Now compare to this fellow who hasn't done anything the US.