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GDANSK, POLAND -- Mitt Romney received a warm welcome here on Monday during the final stop of his foreign tour, winning strong praise from one of Poland's most influential political figures that seemed to border on an endorsement.
Former Polish president and Nobel Peace prize recipient Lech Walesa, on whose invitation Romney has chosen to visit Eastern European ally of the United States told Romney, today he wished him "to be successful," but stopped short of saying he was endorsing Romney.
Jason Reed / Reuters
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney meets with former Polish President Lech Walesa in Gdansk, Poland, July 30.
"I wish you to be successful because this success is needed to the United States, of course, but to Europe and the rest of the world, too. Gov Romney, get your success -- be successful!" Walesa said to Romney during a photo spray at the conclusion of a meeting between the two men.
Walesa's conservative politics align on many respects with the U.S. Republican Party, and he remains a highly respected figure here after helping lead Poland out from behind the Iron Curtain.
The supportive words for Romney, who also met with current prime minister Donald Tusk, were welcome good news for Romney after his campaign was plagued by charges of insensitivity after making remarks at a fundraiser suggesting that wide economic discrepancies between the Palestinian and Israeli people are the result of cutural differences between the two peoples.
"And as I come here and I look out over this city and consider the accomplishments of the people of this nation, I recognize the power of at least culture and a few other things," Romney said at a fundraiser during a monologue extolling Israeli prosperity.
That quote in particular, which was circulated in an Associated Press story, prompted strong pushback from the Romney campaign.
Romney's chief campaign strategist, Stu Stevens, called the story "completely manufactured" and said the Romney campaign was never given a chance to respond to allegations of racism. Stevens said the AP turned an economic observation into a perceived slight, and argued that Romney has previously made similar observations in his books and speeches.
Romney spent his additional time in Poland afternoon visiting two sites of special significance in the U.S.-Polish alliance: the Westerplatte memorial, marking the first shots fired in the second World War, and the Solidarity monument, to Poland's anti-communist efforts.
Poland's long-standing military ties to the United States played a part in the Romney campaign's decision to visit here. This morning, a senior adviser told reporters Poland's contribution of the third-most troops of any nation to the U.S.-led mission in Afghanistan was a sacrifice Romney could be expected to note in a planned speech tomorrow in Warsaw.
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today he wished him "to be successful," but stopped short of saying he was endorsing Romney.
Walesa may be a conservative, but he's not crazy. And how does he deal with Mittwit's anti union stance? Howlong will it take for numb-nuts to make a derogatory statement regarding Solidarity?
Obama/Biden 2012
Mitt is made into sausage while in Poland
There are two things in life you don't want to see being made - one of them is sausage-making. .............................. The other? google it.
You libby hate mongers are really starting to lose it.
How about saying something positive about Obama's record? Oh, that's right, you need to run away from his record. Obama is the first incumbent in history that is not running on his record, but running away from it instead.
The amateur in the white house needs to go. Read the best seller about it. Maybe that will open up your eyes a little.
Yeah, Europe and the Middle East have had enough of Mr. "Yes We Can". They, like the rest of us, have found out it's more like "No He Can't".
Obama 2012 - "I'll visit Israel - after the election" Sure, as a tourist. Gotta pay for that one yourself Barry.
The President is running on his record. However, the Neo-Nut Right Wing Drones don't pay attention. They are too busy listening to Willard Mitt-Wit Romney the Wimp saying it's Ronald Reagan this, Ronald Reagan that, Ronald Reagan loved me, Ronald Reagan did this, Ronald Reagan did that, Ronald Reagan had a plan Ronald Reagan loved this Nation and let's name it all Ronald Reagan."
Ah...yes...it's in a book so it MUST be true.
You libby hate mongers are really starting to lose it.
How about saying something positive about Obama's record
Does somebody have a list of O's accomplishments that they can cut n paste. A-hole Redsux wants to see some...
Walesa: "I wish you to be successful because this success is needed to the United States, of course, but to Europe and the rest of the world, too. Gov Romney, get your success -- be successful!"
GT and First Read don't think that's an endorsement. WOW
" Read the best seller about it. Maybe that will open up your eyes a little."
Already have - both of them. Would you like to borrow my copy of "Dreams From My Father", or do you plan to read "The Audacity of Hope" first?
(Reuters) - Solidarity, the trade union movement which led the Polish struggle against Communist rule, distanced itself on Monday from a visit to Poland by U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney, saying he supported attacks on unions in his own country.
Romney was in Poland on the third and final leg of a foreign tour aimed at burnishing his foreign policy credentials and demonstrating that he would be a viable alternative to U.S. President Barack Obama on the world stage.
Romney visited the Baltic port of Gdansk, cradle of Solidarity which toppled Poland's Communist government in the late 1980s, where he met Lech Walesa, the shipyard electrician who led the union movement during that struggle.
"Regretfully, we were informed by our friends from the American headquarters of (trade union federation) AFL-CIO, which represents more than 12 million employees ... that Mitt Romney supported attacks on trade unions and employees' rights," Solidarity said in a statement.
What, no side stop to Poland's capital city Warsaw? Lech Walesa basically became the Ayn Rand of Polish politics.
Joanne tell us about "Frank" who Obama mentioned in "Dreams from My Father". Obama brings up his name mulitple times as being his mentor. Do you know much about him?
GT-2021701
You had a great post - After insulting the British on their OlymPigs, Romney is going to launch a pricipled attack on unions in front of Walesa of Solidality fame.
Mitt the Ugly American, a typical newly wealthy American who is clueless about the outside world, makes a fool of himself, and in the end becomes a disaster in the making. The original 'Ugly American' was also a foreign policy disaster, leading to the doomed Vietnam War.
Hey RedSoxRule...
You assume that these loons WANT to have their eyes opened. That is where you made your mistake. They don't want to open their eyes because that would force them to see the truth. They much prefer the dreamland they live in.
It doesn't matter what Romney says anymore because no one believes anything he says. And you can be sure this is known by foreigners.
Brockton Barlow: "Joanne tell us about "Frank" who Obama mentioned in "Dreams from My Father". Obama brings up his name mulitple times as being his mentor. Do you know much about him?"
Brockton, unlike you, I've actually read ALL of "Dreams From My Father" - twice - including page xvii of the Introduction:
"For the sake of compression, some of the characters that appear are composites of people, I’ve known, and some events appear out of precise chronology. With the exception of my family and a handful of public figures, the names of most characters have been changed for the sake of privacy.”
This lame "conspiracy" was already old news several months ago. Try to keep up, will you?
What's that Willard?......
Polish culture?...Not British culture, since they can't throw a great Olympics, and for sure, not Palestinian culture!
Willard has to get out of Europe quickly...the International incidents just keep happening with Willard!
Folks may have noticed the key word of "success" that in part has a capitalism-versus-communism connotation. After all that Poland went through in regard to the then Soviet Union, this comment is not so surprising. Walesa most certainly knows, however, that a capitalist system of monopolies with wage slaves is NOT the kind of market anyone wants anymore than communism--except the rich and powerful.
Labor needs to have the right to organize, strike, negotiate, etc., and citizens in general need to have the right to protest. Having seen what's been done to destroy unions and suppress speech in the US (Occupy in particular), and adding to that voter suppression, and 21 gazillionaires dictating public policy, American citizens should be alarmed.
And then of course, I don't measure "success" solely by how much money Romney has amassed. Otherwise, his life achievements are what? Pathetic.
Job1 said,
"The President is running on his record."
Yeah and pigs fly!!
His administration is a disaster everybody knows it!!
TrueIdiot, wow, don't let reality affect your opinion.
Suppress speech with the occupy loons? You mean when they had to break them up for crapping in public, robbing people, raping women, abandoning children etc? Your a serious crackpot.
Now if you want to accuse Rham et al of suppressing speech by trying to black ball Chick-Fil-A then you might have something there.
And as far as dictating public policy, just look to the whack-a-doodle dems that want to dictate everything you do, everything you eat, everything you drink, the milk you give your babies. But in your twisted mind that is ok.
Good grief you guys are really lost.
Just read an insightful commentary on Romney's wimp-problem. The writer lays bare the serious deficiencies Mitt shows compared to Reagan, Bush I, Dubya, and President Obama.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2012/07/29/michael-tomasky-a-candidate-with-a-serious-wimp-problem.html
RedSoxRule
RedSoxRule, they lost it 3 years ago, when they sold their souls to the Great President Obam.
None of this Olympians would be there if the Government had not invented the Planes. LOL big time.
Romney 2012.
RedSoxRule
So if you want to open a resto or print a t-shirt with the slogan 'eat more whatever', you agree that Chick-@!$%#-A can infringe on your rights and sue you. Son, you are the dumb end of a pink eraser.
This lame "conspiracy" was already old news several months ago. Try to keep up, will you?
Joanne,
Lame? Try wikipedia on Frank Davis Marshall. Wikipedia even speaks about the relationship between Obama and Marshall. Perhaps, you should keep up.
Buckwheat, you really make no sense. Go find a 3rd grader that might be able to help you come up with an analogy that makes a little sense.
LMAO
RedSoxRule ... do some work my friend and lookup you fave resto on wiki. You are @!$%#ting feathers and don't know it.
Chilled, that entire sentence is beyond comprehension. It must be something that Republicans like to do as one of the posters on here seems to have the same problem . . . . .
So glad our government invented the airplane so those Olympians could get to where they are going. Don't let the people of North Carolina know though ... I think they have something on their license plates having something to do with the Wright brothers????? ;-) /s
I think the world press misinterpreted what Lech Walesa had to say. More likely, it was something along the lines of what my teenagers would say,
"Good luck with that."
Funny that when Romney makes mistakes liberals cheer and crack snide jokes, but when he is successful they get bitter and try to change the narrative and edit the story. NBC has printed the facts here folks, no need to invent your own, like, "Well I'm sure Walesa meant something different," or "Haha what? Poland must hate Republicans, everyone knows Europe is liberal!"
Poland's long-standing military ties to the United States played a part in the Romney campaign's decision to visit here. This morning, a senior adviser told reporters Poland's contribution of the third-most troops of any nation to the U.S.-led mission in Afghanistan was a sacrifice Romney could be expected to note in a planned speech tomorrow in Warsaw.
Will Mitt also speak to the military sacrifice his 5 sons have made in defending freedom?
Dennis, what branch of the US military do you think Natasha and Malia Obama will be volunteering to join when they graduate from high school??
Army??
Navy??
Marine Corps??
Air Force??
Coast Guard??
Maybe they will follow their father into the.......... Oh, yeah. Nevermind.
Or do you think they will go to some expensive Ivy League college??
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The President's daughters are Malia and Sasha.
Da Noid: Joe In Albany was never what we'd call...you know...right in the head.
Maybe Natasha and Malia will follow the example of the Bush twins. Jenna is a teacher while Barbara works with AIDS patients in Africa. They, unlike other Presidents and President's children, try to stay out of public eye and go about their business.
Think Chelsea C pulled down more than $250K, when she was working for Avenue Capital Group, a group that works with distressed companies, you know, kind of like Bain? Go for the money Chels.
Will Mitt also speak to the military sacrifice his 5 sons have made in defending freedom?
Dennis,
Nobody in the Romney family history ever served in the military.......
Da Noid and Ruken -
Actually, Sasha's given name IS Natasha. I think Joe and JoAnna are using it because it sounds so much more......"communist" or something?
Moose and squirrel are shaking in their boots, I'm sure.
Anyway, I learned something today.
The President's daughters are Malia and Sasha.
_______________________________
Da Hemorrhoid, that's not what Barry put on his 2011 1040. He used "Natasha" and "Malia".
FACTS are a wonderful thing: Da 'roid, you should try them some time.
"Moose and squirrel are shaking in their boots, I'm sure."
You read my mind!
[They, unlike other Presidents and President's children try to stay out of public eye and go about their business.]
If you mean staying "out of the public eye" you mean working for NBC News (Jenna) then you must be completely accurate.
Nice try at deflection---a comment on the fact that none of Mitt's sons has served this country in the military despite our being at war for the last 10 years is turned into an attack on President Obama's children. This despite the fact that Mitt himself said that his sons were serving their country by working hard to get him elected.
Odd. Her father refers to her as that too. Do you think it's for the same reason?
And "Sasha" is a Slavic name.
Glad to have had the opportunity to educate you Joanne. It's been a pleasure.
One cannot attempt to discern JAS1's motives. She could be using it simply to make it appear that her breasts actually don't sag or something.
JAS1--the day you educate JoAnne on ANYTHING will be the same day that pigs are spotted flying. And for you all to make a big deal out of the nicknames of the President's children is even more desperate.
Now Natasha is a Russian name. What do you Libs think, should we refer to her as that so the recently educated Joanne from PA can think we're trying to make her sound "communist"?
First time for everything. That's two now, you and JoAnne.
So nice to see the gentle folk on the right attacking two little girls. Makes one proud to be an American that we use little girls to make a political point.
So, the next time JAS1 boards an aircraft?
Oh that's right, pigs. Not cattle.
Attacking? Just what is the attack phine? Just explaining the origins of names so that Joanne from PA doesn't think there is this major conspiracy to attach "communist" leanings to the President's children's names. Do you think "Sasha" is a reference that "sounds so much more......" communist" or something?" phine?
Malia btw is Hawaiian in origin.
You all bellyaching they should be in the military. Those children (including Mr. Romney's) should be left out of the political discourse. Or is that possible for anyone?
Nah ...
For example, if I asked .... How big a narcissist do you have to be to name your dog your initials like he was a pair of cuff links ... am I making fun of Obama's dog or making fun of Obama?
(For Seeping - Barack Obama's initials are B .. O ... BO the dog .... get it?)
I think Joe and JoAnna are using it because it sounds so much more......"communist" or something?
__________________________________________
JoAnne in PA: You may be onto something here: after reading your post, I just Googled Malia's full name and it is Malia Ann Obama, giving her the initials MAO.
Makes you wonder if "Bo" is short for "Boris"??
All? I couldn't care less if the children of pols go into the military or not. It's their choice. You are pro-choice, right phine?
Odd that you were not critical of "gentle folk on the left" as in post #2 of this subject.
That is staying out of the public eye. No one watches NBC "News". If she wants real obscurity, she can work for MSNBC, or whatever it is called these days.
MSNBC is now called NBC News !
Joe Albany -
Okay, that was actually pretty funny! I'll have to pass it on to Rush - this could be the smoking gun he's been waiting for!
Hopefully, Willard Mitt-Wit Romney the Wimp, won't insult the people of Poland by saying something like, "You people are a lot smarter than all the Pollock jokes say about you."
yeah, or mention those polish death camps.
"And as I come here and I look out over this city and consider the accomplishments of the people of this nation, I recognize the power of at least culture and a few other things,"
PalinRomney said at a fundraiser during a monologue extolling Israeli prosperity.Seriously, when you see them in print, is there really any discernable difference?
Willard Romney Olympics documents aren't being released for the public to view. Why?
Willard Romney is not being honest about his time at Bain Capital. Why?
Willard Romney and staff spent nearly $100,000 in state funds to replace computers in his office at the end of his term as governor of Massachusetts in order to keep his records secret. Why?
Willard Romney refuses to release his tax returns. Why?
Why? Because this man Willard Romney is hiding many things, and don't we the people have the right to know what he is hiding.
With Willard Romney hiding so much about his life and dealings, many people are left to wonder if Willard is covering up sinister or criminal activity. Let's keep the investigation going on Willard Romney, and expose him for what he is.
When everything is closed door, then anything said can be denied. Remember, Obama never denied is guns and Bibles comment that was also closed door. Who "mans up" here? And this so fits Romney's white, American-centric, world view. His speech has less to do with the Neo-cons as more to do with the Evangelicals who have this (insane) belief that the "Holy Land" must be protected. It's a cultural thing.
FAMOUS LAST WORDS:
"There are a lot of wealthy, successful Americans who agree with me -- because they want to give something back," he began, defending his policy of higher tax rates on high earners. "They know they didn't -- look, if you've been successful, you didn't get there on your own. You didn't get there on your own. I'm always struck by people who think, well, it must be because I was just so smart. There are a lot of smart people out there. It must be because I worked harder than everybody else. Let me tell you something -- there are a whole bunch of hardworking people out there.
"If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you've got a business -- you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen."
BARRACK OBAMA
Let's elect Mitt the twit instead.
You know the one who promised jobs when running for governor and couldn't create jobs.
You know the one who saved the Olympics with 1.3 billion in taxpayer money all by himself. Then had all the records shredded because he was so honest and open.
Can't forget the one while governor outsourced government jobs to India. I wonder who he is blaming for that one? Then he took all the hard drives and took records from being governor because he was so honest and open.
Now Rmoney won't release his tax returns and it is of course someone else fault.
If Rmoney is not ashamed of how he made his money, then Rmoney needs to release his tax returns now.
No matter what you think of Lech Welesa, one must understand, if you are anti-Communists, it is impossible to even consider endorsing Barack Huessein Obama II AKA Barry Soetoro. The very person that had Pentagon Bombing Domestic Terrorist Bill Ayers jump start his political career and had Communist Van Jones as one of his "Czars"
Kurt's comments - I hear the sounds of more right-wingnut loons!
Lech Welesa is being polite to his visitor. I am sure he would say the same to Obama under the same circumstances. He is, unlike Willard, who insults his hosts, a true gentleman and a diplomat.
Adler
Lech Welesa didn't wan to meet with Obama in 2008. I guess that makes him a racist.
Romney to Walesa:
"How many Polacks would it take to make an Olympics event happen?"
Wait for it....
"...Romney campaign's decision to visit here. This morning, a senior adviser told reporters Poland's contribution of the third-most troops of any nation to the U.S.-led mission in Afghanistan was a sacrifice Romney could be expected to note in a planned speech tomorrow in Warsaw."
Guess he just forgot to even mention the British contribution when he visited there and felt obliged to level unnecessary and badly timed criticisms instead!
Just an FYI- A Polish "conservative" (like most European "conservatives") is comparable to a slightly right of center conservative in the U.S.. Like romney used to be as Governor before he became a cheney clone candidate.
I am sure Mitt left the Poles with some Americans jokes.
Gov Romney moon-walking trip.........top Republicans jumping ship......prior departure President George W. Bush announced that he was skipping the 2012 convention........now Dick Cheney said he will be going fishing instead.........one of Michele Bachmann top aide vowed she will NOT vote for ROMNEY.........I think they have all concluded Mitt the Twit is arrogant, distant, cynical, cold-hearted and will say just about anything, anywhere in his pursuit for The Oval Office.
VOTE...............................................................................................................................................OBAMA/BIDEN 2012