- Daily Photo: Obama Jokes Around at G-20
- Blackwater gets replaced in Iraq
- Daily Photo: U.S. Marines Look Out for Taliban in Afghanistan
- Hillary Clinton the Tomboy and Her "Ah-Ha" Moment
- Obama Administration Sudan Envoy Headed to Region
- Daily Photo: Potential Flashpoint in Iraq
- Clinton Says New Afghanistan-Pakistan Plan Depends on Diplomacy
- Exclusive: Three Israeli Airstrikes Against Sudan
- Additional 4,000 Troops to Be Ordered to Afghanistan
- Daily Photo: Navy Submarine Trains in the Arctic
- Alarm Over North Korea Missile Prep
- Anti-Terror Stimulus? US Offers Rewards for Top Terrorists
- Daily Photo: Pakistani Women in Refugee Camp
- Condoleezza Rice Appears on "The Tonight Show"
- Diplomat and Aid Group Sound the Alarm on Darfur Camp Situation
- auto industry rescue
- Ballotwatch
- Biden, Joe
- Bush, George W.
- Clinton, Bill
- Clinton, Hillary
- Dodd, Chris
- Edwards, John
- Giuliani, Rudy
- Gravel, Mike
- Huckabee, Mike
- Hunter, Duncan
- Inauguration
- Iraq
- Kucinich, Dennis
- McCain, John
- Obama, Barack
- Palin, Sarah
- Paul, Ron
- Romney, Mitt
- Tancredo, Tom
- Thompson, Fred
- Veepstakes
- Vote 2008: Democrats
- Vote 2008: Republicans
- Washington
- White House
« Previous | Main | Next »
Romney: No Iraq Plan But Bush's Plan ("At This Stage")
Email
ShareJuly 25, 2007 4:19 PM
ABC News' Teddy Davis and Leigh Hartman Report: Mitt Romney reaffirmed his support for President Bush's Iraq strategy -- "at this stage" -- in a Tuesday interview with the Pajamas Media website.
"What is your plan for winning in Iraq?" Romney was asked by Richard Miniter, the Washington Editor of Pajamas Media. "Is it different from the president's? And if so, how?"
"Well, at this stage," said Romney, "the right course is the troop surge, nobody has put forward a 'plan B' that is superior to that one that does not have additional risks that are really quite frightful. And so the troop surge is the one we're pursuing and we can all hope that that is going to be successful."
When asked if he is "committed to victory in Iraq," Romney replied, "absolutely" while warning of the "potential disaster" which would come from a "full-out civil war" as well as the potential for a "regional conflict" which could draw the United States back into the conflict in order to "protect our friends and interests there."
In what might be an effort to give himself some latitude down the road, Romney added: "So we're hoping the troop surge works" before adding "it's by no means a sure thing."
Romney's answer reflects the difficult balance that Republican presidential hopefuls are trying to strike between mainline Republicans -- 77 percent of whom approve of Bush's job performance, according to a new ABC News/Washington Post poll -- and the broader public -- where only 33 percent approve of Bush's job performance.
In the new ABC News/Washington Post poll, four in ten mainline Republican say they're more apt to favor a candidate who supports Bush's war policies -- but among independents, who play a crucial role in general elections, just 13 percent call this a positive, and 49 percent instead say they're less likely to back a candidate who supports Bush on the war.
Watch the video: LINK
July 25, 2007 in Thompson, Fred | Permalink | User Comments (4)
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.
Well he sealed his fait,on several things.
Posted by: drwfll | Jul 25, 2007 9:43:02 PM
Couldn't come up with your own plan? We need a new leader, not a new Bushie.
Posted by: Cat | Jul 26, 2007 9:11:18 AM
This answer from Romney is not going to cut it. The Iraq War will be a central issue in the General Election. Romney needs to provide answers, if he wants to be president, not just responses.
Posted by: Sean O'Brien | Jul 26, 2007 10:32:10 AM
I'll bet Romney is waiting for Bush's September report - if it's good he'll stick with the Bush plan, and if it's bad he'll have his own. Not a bad strategy, but what's he going to do if September moves out to November as suggested by one of the generals?
I'm a Massachusetts voter who did not appreciate Romney's opportunistic approach to the governorship. I sense the same thing going on here, and am sure he'll be jumping in front of the cameras on this issue in September.
Posted by: mel | Jul 27, 2007 9:04:57 AM
Post a comment
