Romney: Sons Serve Country By Campaigning

Presidential Hopeful Defends His Five Sons' Lack Of Military Service

(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.

[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.

[meboard]

Yes, Mitt has his boys all dressed up in black pants, white shirts and ties riding bikes town-to-town passing out pamphlets titled "Mitt Saves!" He's a perfect Reublican't nominee...go for it RNC! The Nation is just dieing to elect another righ wing religious nut-case...all you need to do is hook your "Karl's Slime Machine" to Mitt's bandwagon and off you go! 4 more years of "Go F-yourself" leadership from the RNC!

[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.

[donnie900]

lars, the american people have watched far too too many good movies to be suckered by yer scifi.

[lars008-2009]

it is fascist nazi terrorislam stupid%u2026.

non muslims of the world unite... fight against the tyranny of the fascist nazi terrorslam imperialist empire of the darkside...

I was a fanatic...I know their thinking, says former radical Islamist
By blaming the Government for our actions, those who pushed this "Blair's bombs" line did our propaganda work for us.
More important, they also helped to draw away any critical examination from the real engine of our violence: Islamic theology.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=465570&in_page_id=1770

Our Prophet commanded us to fight the kaafirs when we are able and to attack them in their homelands and to give them three choices before we enter their lands: either they become Muslim and be like us, sharing our rights and duties; or they pay the jizyah (poll tax) and feel themselves subdued; or they fight, in which case their wealth, women, children and homes become permissible as booty for the Muslims.
http://islamqa.com/index.php?ref=13759&ln=eng&txt=before%20islam%20arabia%20pagan

name one terrorislam cleric that has ever been a suicide murderer???

name one terrorislam state that grants equal rights to non muslims???

[donnie900]

Don't ever! Underestimate.. what a lady can do. EVER! She is.. the hand'a peckkkerdom. And even though you might say: "No! No!" She'll have sucha hold on you.. that you won't be able to control yerself.. Not in a million years.

She's.. de master'a, not the universe, but you.

[navyretired2]

"All soldiers and prospective soldiers should stop re-enlisting and if their tour is up, refuse to be backdoor drafted to stay. Then they should all buy Winnebagos and support anyone for president, they can claim they serve the country better that way. Ditto for the National Guard. Wonder how long THAT mindset would be tolerated by our government? Romney is not fit to be President. His sons could serve both him and the country by enlisting and finally putting another Republican mouth where all our money is going to.
Posted by toldyouso21 at 02:49 PM : Aug 08, 2007"

One small problem with that theory (though I love the spirit of it)...the government has a clause in the contract with military enlistees, that in a time of war, they can extend your enlistment, involuntarily to the enlistee, until such time as they deem necessary, to defend the country. The enlistee gets a slight increase in pay for the time they serve past their enlistment end date...awesome eh? (sarcasm)

Now, there's no doubt in my mind that it wouldn't be in the true "defense" of the country, nonetheless, if thousands of enlisted men and women were to not re-enlist, you'd see this clause effected immediately.

[donnie900]

Why I once saw de ugliest ************ chick I thought I ever saw do a dance? Shake'n her booty? Wiggle'n her belly? Poke'n out her breasts? That I promised myself that I would never.. NEVER! Underestimate the power of seductions. NEVER..

[donnie900]

The lady justice? When she sticks on that garment that gives her complexions fancy sparklies and seersucker colors, and shakes her stuff in a big butt fancy dance.. I imagine that God himself goes: "Vroom vroom"..

[donnie900]

"...During the Vietnam War we spread vitriolic stories around the world, pretending that America's presidents sent Genghis Khan-style barbarian soldiers to Vietnam who raped at random, taped electrical wires to human genitals, cut off limbs, blew up bodies and razed entire villages. Those weren't facts. They were our tales, but some seven million Americans ended up being convinced their own president, not communism, was the enemy. As Yuri Andropov, who conceived this dezinformatsiya war against the U.S., used to tell me, people are more willing to believe smut than holiness...."

So I guess there really is something true to Nancy Reagan's astral projection concerns. I guess that politics is just as vulnerable, if not more, than the hollywood sell-a-record hype.

The wizard don't get his power from what people say about him. But from what people believe about him. And if there's something out there.. some.. "force".. thats making some bully's efforts more difficult? Well then its not for lack of his own karma.

[iceman_1960]

One of the ways Caroline Giuliani is showing support for our nation is helping Barack Obama get elected because she thinks he'd be a great president.

How's that ?

[iceman_1960]

Make that,

$25k is 0.01% of his net worth, before the tax break.

That's like me giving these organizations about 40 bucks apiece. I give more than that to my favorite charity every month.

If Romney wants to buy MY vote, he's going to have to come up with more money than that.

[iceman_1960]

"Iceman_1960 - to be fair - I think he donated $25k each to a bunch of charities - but as you say - it's a check and he wont miss the bucks and anyway he gets the tax deducations."
- Posted by nyckate at 09:40 PM : Aug 08, 2007

He should have kept quiet about the one or more $25k donations ($25k is 0.01% of 1% of his net worth, before the tax break) except what he needed to file as a candidate, legally, or when he makes his tax returns public, as most candidates do.

Shouting it out during a campaign speech sounds like he's trying to buy votes.