Romney: Sons Serve Country By Campaigning

(AP)  Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney on Wednesday defended his five sons' decision not to enlist in the military, saying they're showing their support for the country by "helping me get elected."

Romney, who did not serve in Vietnam due to his Mormon missionary work and a high draft lottery number, was asked the question by an anti-war activist after a speech in which he called for "a surge of support" for U.S. forces in Iraq.

Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, also saluted a uniformed soldier in the crowd and called for donations to military support organizations. Last week, he donated $25,000 to seven such organizations.

"The good news is that we have a volunteer Army and that's the way we're going to keep it," Romney told some 200 people gathered in an abbey near the Mississippi River that had been converted into a hotel. "My sons are all adults and they've made decisions about their careers and they've chosen not to serve in the military and active duty and I respect their decision in that regard."

He added: "One of the ways my sons are showing support for our nation is helping me get elected because they think I'd be a great president."

Romney's five sons range in age from 37 to 26 and have worked as real estate developers, sports marketers and advertising executives. They are now actively campaigning for their father and have a "Five Brothers" blog on Romney's campaign Web site.

Romney noted that his middle son, 36-year-old Josh, was completing a recreational vehicle tour of all 99 Iowa counties on Wednesday and said, "I respect that and respect all those and the way they serve this great country."

The woman who asked the question, Rachel Griffiths, 41, of Milan, Ill., identified herself as a member of Quad City Progressive Action for the Common Good, as well as the sister of an Army major who had served in Iraq.

"Of course not," Griffiths said when asked if she was satisfied with Romney's answer. "He told me the way his son shows support for our military and our nation is to buy a Winnebago and ride across Iowa and help him get elected."

The town-hall-style meeting was the first of eight events scheduled for Romney just three days before the Iowa Straw Poll, a nonbinding beauty contest among the Republican presidential contenders.

In the days leading up it, Romney is airing a new television ad in the state in which he encourages supporters to attend the event, portrays himself as an outsider to Washington and takes swipes at both Republicans and Democrats there.

"Washington politicians in both parties have proven they can't control spending, and they won't control our borders," Romney says in the ad. "I will, but I need your help to do it."

While former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Arizona Sen. John McCain and former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, who is considering a campaign are not participating, Romney has been actively organizing with the aim of gaining momentum into January's Iowa caucuses, which kick off the presidential nominating process.

[railroadokie]

What a load of crap. Serving by playing stooges for the GOP. Times havent changed sense Vietnam. Mitch McConnel got his orders to go to Nam and his parents got him an intern job in Washington to keep him out of the war. Republicans are good at waving the flag, hollering war and sending America's poor to do the fighting. USMC Major Gnereal Smedley D Butler was right in his book, "War Is A Rackett".

[greybeardvet]

Romney scares me a bit. He has the attitude and convictions of a a wholesome boy scout, but he is also a very bright problem solver who seems to get along. There might be a valuable quality there for world diplomacy. The problem is that Mormon missionaries are about as culturally obtuse as it's possible to get. Foreigners don't kill them because they are so cute and wholesome and want to help everyone get into the Celestial Kingdom of God. How this might play out for a US President is an interesting question.

[mudrose-2009]

MUDROSE. JUST WHO DO YOU THINK WAS NOT PAYING ATTENTION ON 911. CLINTON... YOU ARE A D.A. BUSHIE
Posted by chalres

WHAT A LOAD OF CR*AP. THE CLINTOID HAD HIM RIGHT IN HIS SIGHTS AND HE SAT ON HIS AZZ AND DID NOTHING. MADE LIGHT OF THE ISSUE TOO. WELL, HE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING UP THERE IN AFGHANISTAN SO WHY WOULD I BOTHER. BOOM, DOWN COMES THE TOWERS AND AS USUAL, IT'S BUSH'S FAULT. HOW CONVENIENT.

[txlakeside]

ROFLMAO - Arrogant rich idiot! I sure hope this dufus wins his parties nomination. It will be a shoe in for the DEMS!

[radiob-2009]

Not one solitary son out of Five enlisted for the military and Romney himself never served.

[bareemperor]

The REPUBLICONS have spent

$450,695,489,945.00 on the Iraq oil invasion so far.

Anybody want their money back? Half of US didn't vote for these clowns...

[iceman_1960]

USA's PLEDGE 2 THE WORLD GIVEN BY JIMMY CARTER !!

"Ladies and gentlemen: War may sometimes be a necessary evil. But no matter how necessary, it is always an evil, never a good. We will not learn how to live together in peace by killing each other's children." - Jimmy Carter

[iceman_1960]

NIMBY Romney.

NIMBY = Not In My Backyard.

"The war is great. Support the troops. Support the commander-in-chief.

Just don't fight it in my backyard -- and don't ask my sons to fight."

----------------------------------

"The woman who asked the question, Rachel Griffiths, 41, of Milan, Ill., identified herself as a member of Quad City Progressive Action for the Common Good, as well as the sister of an Army major who had served in Iraq.

"Of course not," Griffiths said when asked if she was satisfied with Romney's answer. "He told me the way his son shows support for our military and our nation is to buy a Winnebago and ride across Iowa and help him get elected."

[kansas1946]

LOL. Hell, I bet a lot of those guys that are doing a second, or third, or fourth, tour in Iraq, would be glad to let Mitt's boys take their place, and they will come over here a work on Mitt's campaign. That sounds like a fair trade to me. Why doesn't he just say what he thinks, like "There is no way I would send my boys over there to get killed in Bush's folly."

[donnie900]

Werds? Is werds. Too many spoken.. too many heard. And only lunatics are afraid of what de lunatic says.