WASHINGTON, Dec. 16, 2007
Romney Defends Charges Of Flip-Flopping
Says He Will Keep Campaign Promises Despite Changing Views On Abortion, Same-Sex Rights
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Photo
In this photograph provided by "Meet the Press," Republican presidential hopeful former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney appears Sunday, Dec. 16, 2007, on "Meet the Press" with moderator Tim Russert, right, at the NBC studios in Washington. (NBC/AP)
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Photo Essay
Mitt Romney
He turned around companies, and the Olympics and ran for president pledging to turn around the country.
Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, also called on his top rival Mike Huckabee to apologize to President Bush. In an article in the journal Foreign Affairs, Huckabee criticized Bush's foreign policy as an "arrogant bunker mentality."
Huckabee said no apology is necessary and that Romney should read the article.
Appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press," a somewhat defensive Romney acknowledged that he has shifted positions on some issues and explained that he did so after learning from experience. He said it would be a mistake if a candidate "stubbornly takes a position on a particular act and says, 'Well, I'm never changing my view based on what I've learned."'
"If you're looking for someone who's never changed any positions on any policies, then I'm not your guy," Romney said.
At the same time, Romney insisted that as governor he kept all of his campaign promises despite changing some views, and said he would stick to his promises if elected president.
"Bottom line: All the positions you laid out today as a presidential candidate, can you assure the voters you won't flip back to some of the positions you had when you were governor of Massachusetts?" asked NBC moderator Tim Russert.
"Of course," Romney responded.
Among the issues:
Abortion. Romney acknowledged changing his views in 2004 from supporting abortion rights to opposing abortion. He said he did not entirely betray abortion-rights voters, either, because he did not seek to change Massachusetts abortion laws.
Taxes. Romney said he promised not to raise taxes as governor and did not go back on his word by raising fees by about $240 million to help balance the budget. The fees were on services such as gun licenses and training to combat domestic violence. He explained that because the fees were not on broad-based services, such as driver's licenses, they did not "have a sense, a feeling like a tax." "I ran as an individual who would not raise taxes, and I didn't," he said.
Same-sex rights. Romney acknowledged that he initially supported federal efforts to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation, but now only supports such laws at the state level. In an unsuccessful Senate run in 1994, Romney promised to be "more effective on gay rights in the Senate than Ted Kennedy."
Romney's talk-show appearance came as he is trying hard to overtake Huckabee in Iowa and reclaim the lead he enjoyed for much of the year. Huckabee recently moved to the front of the Republican presidential field in Iowa, with the state's caucuses less than three weeks away on Jan. 3.
Romney has defended Bush against Huckabee's criticisms of his foreign policy. On Sunday, he went a bit further, labeling the charge "an insult" and calling on Huckabee to tell the president he was sorry. Huckabee leveled his criticism in an article in the journal Foreign Affairs.
"Mike Huckabee should apologize to the president," Romney said in response to a question.
Huckabee said Romney should read the article.
"It would really help if he would do that. Because if he did, he would see that there's no apology necessary to the president," Huckabee said on CNN's "Late Edition." Huckabee said he stood with Bush on tax cuts and sending more U.S. troops to Iraq when Romney did not.
"So, you know, I don't have anything to apologize for. But I'm running for president of the United States. I've got to show that I do have my own mind when it comes to how this country ought to lead, not only within its own borders but across the world," he said.
© MMVII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Clueless - absolutely clueless
Voters might find credibility in that claim if it were only about one issue, but THREE??
The republicans made a huge talking point about Kerry%u2019s statement about %u201Cbeing for it before he was against it%u201D and that was only one issue, the Iraq invasion, which after learning about all the misinformation, a majority of Americans later changed their minds about.
Where are all those republicans now?
So now, isn''t that exactly what he says that he will do? Never change his new positions?
This guy has been talking to himself so long he''s started to believe his own press releases...
He''s not a flip flopper- he''s a flipper flop.
Because ALL of the folks running from either party has flip flopped. And several of them have flip flopped alot more than Mitt Romney.
So what''s the point?
Mitt is the most qualified candidate running from either party.
Maybe that''s what the liberals at the Associated Press should have told everyone.
Because "that" statement is a fact.
get the richies and power mongers out of washington. they serve no-one but thier own interests.
in other news since it apparently isnt newsworthy... ron paul is at about 16.1 mill in his fundraiser today at 7:30 pm et. of course it must be aliens that are contributing... not actually individual americans who want thier country back... because that would be news yes. well- time to get back to reading about girlianni the crossdressing day manager.
So he thinks the pres is sorry. So do I.
Does it really matter what comes out of their mouths?
Gone are the days of Citizen Kane. Many Americans don''''t realized that the coupe has taken place. The Bushwacker has railroaded the U.S. Constitution very subtly and quitely with no resistence from the Justice Department/ U.S. Supreme Court, and the Corporations with the help of the National Security administration have manipulated the Truth to the point that all we see is deception.
Yes, the old saying "believe only half of what you read; nothing of what you hear." Well, today it''''s pure propaganda - corporations and the government dictate what our eyes and ears can have. In the day of Rome, only the Generals and their armies could overthrow the Emperior - Bush always s*u*cks* up to the Generals. I am really surprized how these kids (soldiers) come back deformed and maimed just don''''t realize they have sold their bodies to the Beast.
You still stupid people who think its about Republican and Democratic leadership and party politics are really dopes. I have seen both Presidents betray their own ethics, politics and fellow Congressmen. These elected A*s*S*holes don''''t care about you. All they care about is their own wealth.
In truth, Bush should be hanged for treason, falsying testamony, tappering with elections, violating the U.S. Constitution, profiteering, and murder. But the dictator has the U.S. Supreme Court in his back pocket.
Romney has flip-flopped on every major issue in his campaign. He''s all ambition and not principle.
than you will love this scumbag
flip flops go well with magic underwear.
SO, what he''s trying to convince us is that he has now acquired ALL the relevant experience, that it is not possible to learn anything more, and so now, FINALLY he will keep his promises because NOTHING could change his mind at this point.
No matter how you look at it, THAT''S NOT GOOD!
He was a flip-flopper, but now he''s a stubborn a$$. He promises us he will never learn anything new.
Yikes! What a re.****!
And, BTW, when your religion was founded by a con man, and you claim to be a "Christian" but the things you believe are opposed to what other Christians believe, and your religion used to support polygamy (and still does, secretly) and it once declared eternal vengeance on the USA, and you wear "magic underpants" to "protect you" from something or another, ..., well, then I''d say your religion IS A SIGNIFICANT FACTOR in determinining whether or not we should vote for you. And I say, "Vote NO on Mutt Romney."
Magic Underpants: No Thanks!
For that statement alone, he should be banned from running for office. He should not be allowed to impose his hysterical religious beliefs on the United States. If he can''t separate religion from politics, then he shouldn''t be allowed to run for political office.
Just wanted to correct something you both persist in writing regarding Mormon "magic" underclothing:
Mormons do not make any claim that their underclothing is magic, embodies any magical power or can do anything of the sort. There is no literature that I am aware of, nothing in Mormon literature or scripture (Bible or otherwise) that would seem to indicate what you are claiming. Whatever label you have affixed to it was given by someone interested in smear.
Now that the record has been set straight, to continue claiming that it embodies such power shows that you are less interested in truth and more interested in your own agenda. Please stick to the politics.
get a life and go buy some walmart magic underwear and maybe you will find a magical mate that will help your walmart magical underwear inflate.
How many times have they changed their rationale for their Iraq war?
I''ll go grab some popcorn, this will be fun to watch.
The book of Mormon is a history of the people of the Americas. According to Mormon teaching, the Americas were settled by Israelites. One tribe, the Lamanites prevailed over the Nephites. Since the time of Joseph Smith, the %u201Cprophets%u201D of the church have taught that all of the American Indians are descents of Abraham.
Now the church is facing a crisis that most of its lay members are not aware. There is not one iota of Jewish DNA in the indigenous people of the Americas. Its most basic tenet is unsupportable, in fact laughable. With that premise also falls the belief that the "living prophets" receive their guidance from God and could not lead their flocks astray.
In light of the DNA evidence, if Romney believes that American Indians are descendents of Abraham, then I have to question his qualification to be president.
I don%u2019t have enough space to discuss the Book of Abraham, an Egyptian hypocephalus that Joseph Smith claimed was written by Abraham. At the time, no one could disprove it. Then came the Rosetta Stone and Mormonism took yet another body blow.
I want to know the names of the candidates who are Freemasons and ...
Why are there Masonic sybols on the dollar bill?
Instead, it''s blatently obvious that Romney is a pathetic little man with no moral principles who will say or do anything to get elected.
NO THANK YOU!
This flip-flop *** was a Bush election strategy that has somehow become part of the political debate. It wasn''t relevant then and its certainly not relevant now.
First of all flip flop is not real, they are supposed to be slaves not anything else if we tell them to change that is what they are supposed to do.
Why do you think Bill Clinton was reelected after the Republicans swept to power? Now the Republicans didn''t do the same as Bill Clinton did and that is where it will be costly.
Flip flop is a joke what they should be saying is we listened to the voters. But hey the Republicans haven''t been doing a good job of that lately. Guess they want a real blood bath in 2008.
Besides, it''s all Clinton''s fault.
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by juwboy
December 18, 2007 4:56 AM PST
- mcharlton4 said (to me):
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Reply to this comment
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See all 38 Comments"please be careful what you say about my religion".
My Comment referred to Mormonism and Freemasonry, so I assume your religion is Mormonism.
If you had read my Comment dispassionately without any preconceived notions you would have understood that I was saying religion is irrelevant.
In future, I''ll attack you for being an illiterate high-school dropout.