Romney avoids discussing Perry in N.H. town hall

SALEM, N.H. - Despite the attention focused on Texas Gov. Rick Perry's controversies, Mitt Romney on Monday avoided any mention of his chief GOP rival for the presidential nomination and focused his fire on President Obama.

The avoidance of discussing Perry - who found himself enmeshed in a new controversy over a rock emblazoned with an ethnic slur at a West Texas hunting camp where he brought friends and supporters - was characteristic of Romney's strategy of trying to remain above the fray and let his opponents fight among themselves. The former Massachusetts governor instead stuck to his trusted themes -- accusing Obama of failing to lead, of pandering to the Palestinians and fostering a divided Washington, D.C.

Obama has drawn the ire of conservatives for recently contending in a television interview that American "had gotten a little soft" in recent decades and needed to regain its competitive edge. "Leaders don't attack the people they're trying to lead," Romney said of Obama to a crowd of about 200 people.

Romney added: "I haven't seen a president try and deflect blame from himself in such a long time as I have with this president. I have a hard time understanding how he lays the blame for what's happening in America on the American people. It is not that we have become soft or unable to get up and run. It's that he's on our shoulders and too heavy, and we want to get him off our shoulders so we can run again."

Romney briefly spoke on other issues, including gun control, in which he said would not change anything about the Second Amendment. He also responded to a question about Afghanistan by saying he would take the advice of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, something he said the president has not done.

"I'm not someone who wants to be there for the next five or 10 years," Romney said of Afghanistan. "We've reached a point where it's time for the Afghan people and the Afghan troops to pick up their own responsibility for maintaining and preserving the independence that's been won from the Taliban in their country."

One hot-button topic did surface briefly when a woman in the audience brought up Romney's religion. "When I was only about 10 years old, my cousin married a Mormon, he was a layman in the church," she told Romney.

"Mmm, well, interesting," Romney responded. "Nice to meet you."