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Subscribe to RSSBloomberg View columnist William Cohan and Democratic strategist Julian Epstein discuss why Mitt Romney is still fumbling for answers over his 2011 tax return – despite their Friday release – and whether he’ll ever be able to explain how he pays for his proposed, across-the-board tax cuts.
DENVER -- Mitt Romney today attempted to shift focus to what he called President Barack Obama's lack of leadership in the Middle East, as world leaders began to gather in New York City for the opening of the United Nations General Assembly.
The Romney campaign this afternoon offered a series of interviews with major U.S. TV networks, in which Romney hammered Obama for referring to a series of flare-ups in the Middle East as "bumps in the road."
In Colorado, Mitt Romney insisted to NBC News that he'll win. The Obama campaign, meanwhile, has unveiled a new TV ad tying Romney's tax returns with his comments about the 47 percent. NBC's Chuck Todd reports.
"When the president was speaking about 'bumps in the road' he was talking about the developments in the Middle East, and that includes an assassination. It includes a Muslim Brotherhood individual becoming president of Egypt. It includes Syria being in tumult," Romney told NBC's Peter Alexander. "It includes Iran being on the cusp of nuclear capability. It includes Pakistan being in commotion."
Mitt Romney will stump in Colorado on Monday and then travel to Ohio via bus tour all ahead of next week's first debate. The Daily Rundown's Chuck Todd reports.
Romney continued, "There are extraordinary events going on in the Middle East, and considering those events, either one of them or all of them collectively, as bumps in the road shows a person who has a very different perspective about world affairs than the perspective I have. I think this is a time for America to exert leadership and this is not something that we are doing in the Middle East ... ."
Romney was referring to an answer Obama gave in an interview which aired last night on CBS News' "60 Minutes," in which the president defended his support for emerging governments in the Middle East as a result of the Arab spring.
Charles Dharapak / AP
Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney boards his plane in Denver, Monday, Sept. 24, 2012.
Kroft: Have the events that took place in the Middle East, the recent events in the Middle East given you any pause about your support for the governments that have come to power following the Arab Spring?
Obama: Well, I'd said even at the time that this is going to be a rocky path. The question presumes that somehow we could have stopped this wave of change. I think it was absolutely the right thing for us to do to align ourselves with democracy, universal rights, a notion that people have to be able to participate in their own governance. But I was pretty certain and continue to be pretty certain that there are going to be bumps in the road because, you know, in a lot of these places, the one organizing principle has been Islam. The one part of society that hasn't been controlled completely by the government. There are strains of extremism, and anti-Americanism, and anti-Western sentiment. And, you know, can be tapped into by demagogues. There will probably be some times where we bump up against some of these countries and have strong disagreements, but I do think that over the long term we are more likely to get a Middle East and North Africa that is more peaceful, more prosperous and more aligned with our interests.
The Romney campaign seized on those comments -- in an attempt to chip away at the president's approval rating on foreign affairs, which slid in the last NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll to 49 percent.
(However, a series of NBC/WSJ/Marist polls in the battleground states of Colorado, Iowa, and Wisconsin show Obama enjoying a double-digit lead over Romney when it comes to who would better handle foreign policy.)
NBC's Peter Alexander spoke with Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in Denver about the upcoming debates, world affairs, and if it is possible to change the tone in Washington.
The Obama White House fired back on Romney, arguing that it was "offensive" to suggest that the president was minimizing the deaths of four Americans in Libya, including the U.S. ambassador there.
"That assertion is both desperate and offensive," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said. "The president was referring to the transformations in the region, to this process that has -- only began less than two years ago, as we saw in Tunisia, and continues to this day, with remarkable transformations occurring in countries around the region."
Also in the interview, NBC's Alexander pressed Romney on the current polling that shows him trailing Obama.
Romney remained defiant.
"I'm very pleased with the fact that we have a campaign that is taking our message to the people across America, and look --- we're gonna win," Romney said. "There is no question in my mind. We're gonna win."
NBC's Jordan Frasier contributed to this article.
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Mitt the Flip Romney is just a "buffoon" on the road to Mr. Obamas' reelection!
Poor liberal tards... going to lose big in Nov.... HAHAHAHA
Obama is no Jimmy Carter... he's worse if you can believe that....lol
Carter lost big and Oblaaa blaaaa will lose even bigger!!!
Libs are getting scared ... they'll have to get real jobs....HEHEHE and stop taking free handouts from the government!!!
LMAO coming from a man who said on tape that he basically would give up on peace in the middle east, I find it laughable Romney is saying a thing about the region...he obviously has NO desire for peace in the Middle East, and instead would take us to war with Russia! yeah, Romney would be a suicide pick as President...you thought Bush was bad? lol Romney is 100 times worse!!!!
You should look for the full tape, not the part of the tape that David Corn took out of context and presented to the US voter in order to help Obama. This POC site knows there was more on the tape that would put the middle east comments in context but surely they will not do anything that keeps the public informed enough to vote.
Nobody could be worse than Barack Hussein Obama...
Romney/Ryan 2012
Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh warned that Iran will target U.S. bases in the region in the event of war with Israel “we will enter a confrontation with both parties and will definitely be at war with American bases should a war break out," "To us, these bases are equal to U.S. soil." This is another of the bumps in the road Obama is referring too. These statements can't be taken lightly and shouldn't be ignored. Obama stated that Israel is one of our closest allies in the region who is the other?
The other is Saudi Arabia. They have increased oil production at times to moderate the cost of oil for Americans. That policy is in part self-serving for the Saudis to the extent that the lower price of oil discourages Americans from increasing domestic production, from seeking alternate suppliers, and from developing alternative fuels. You know they are allies when you see pictures of President Bush holding hands with a Saudi royal, which is a Saudi gesture of respect.
Eric - You should practice what you preach - but you are just another democrat without a plan and a big mouth to back it up.
I wholeheartedly agree with Romney that we need strong leadership regarding the middle east. But i don't think that entails 50,000 more troops, power battle colonization, or the hyper active itch to drop some bombs to prove our mighty power. We should protect only our civilian interests abroad. Period. Pull up Old Glory, wipe the sand off our feet and move our forces out of those godforsaken countries. Let our soldiers voluntarily take on private security details fo the oil companies and other corporate interests and get paid to do so without losing rank or position in the active duty realm. Private security detail and excellent pay at least let's them know their purpose over there. Pull our direct aid and make a fair contribution to a Middle East humanitarian aid fund equal to that of all other nations, no more, no less.
If we want to set an example of leadership we show them that our military, our resources and our intelligence is better utilized elsewhere. Plenty of other countries that want our skilled and trained soldiers on their soil to help them advance in the name of peace and security. Not in the name of anarchy, chaos and confusion.
Our military is the best in the world. We are dumbing them down by keeping them in places where their purpose and passion is being diminished by the day. I know who we are and I know our defense shield is strong. I know that mighty Old Glory is and always will be the symbol of our 50 states and the freedoms and liberties all 50 states share. We don't need to brag anymore. We don't need to flash our mighty new weapons, tanks and ships. Of course I want peace, democracy, and strong economies for all nations. But I am not going to support any more wreckless endeavors that harm the spirit of our nation and our goals at regaining our own National well being, confidence, and happiness.
Yes, there is a time and a place for military action. And if it gets to that point, it better be without irrational hyper action. Want to get tough? Then get tough and make your point and be sure that point is known. But if Romney wants war, no thanks. Leave the sand where it is.
So it took the White House a week to figure out Libya was a terrorit attack, the terrorist must love that, let's atatch the US it'll take them a week to figure it out duh!Interesting when the last group to recognize what this was is the White House.
Since when did the United States extended the olive branch of peace in one hand and held a gun against the Nation of Islam in the other?
Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan has as much foreign policy experiance as my dog does with the neighbor's cat
Obama 2012
Everytime you libs post with your poor grammar and spelling, it tells me all about that 47%.
I don't think I'm going to take serious anything this douche bag says, about foreign policy after his last little trip overseas. He's fumbling around grabbing at anything to put the President down, he's just a creep and I was reminded of that last night when watching 60 Minutes. He makes my skin crawl yuk!! Most people cannot stand him so why would we trust that foreign leaders would respect him?
I'll stick with who I trust-Obama/Biden-2012 Not the lying duo!
Romney is going to have to do better than this: reacting in a knee jerk fashion to everything President Obama is doing.
If Romney is to win, he needs a new campaign staff; this one is doing him no service. The Presidential Candidate only shines if a stellar staff is behind the candidate. That's not happening with Romney's campaign.
Unless he fires his staff and gets a new one which has vast experience in running a campaign Romney will lose. A transparent strategy Romney is using is a stash of money to be used in the end run, the last lap.
However, money alone does not win the Presidency. A solid staff, experience, top notch strategy, that wins voters. At this point I cannot see Romney winning.
Serious campaign restructuring might save the Romney campaign.
I see it and I'm not a political expert!!
Mitt, better stick to domestic politics because you are way into the deep end of the pool on foreign affairs. The only thing you know about foreign policy is that you keep most of your money in The Cayman Islands and Switzerland. Remember your trip to Israel where you insulted the Palestinian people---that demonstrated a clear grasp of the complex issues facing the region. I can't wait for you to lose and go back to the country club so I don't have to listen to your pompous, rich-boy pie hole any longer.
The Palestinians need to be insulted. If they spent half their energy trying to improve themselves instead of lobbing missiles into Israel they would be a much happier lot. How can they expect Israel to treat them with more freedom while they on strap suicide vests and bomb innocent people. Maybe if they could learn to live in peace their overall situation would be much better.
NEWS FLASH!
Iran drops a nuclear bomb on Tel Aviv. Obama states it's just another "bump in the road."
Romney himself said he would just "hope" middle eastern situations get better and "kick the ball down the field". Glad he thinks everything will fix itself.... soooo much worse than what Obama is doing, huh Mitt?
What a hypocrite, f'ing tool.
This is rich, indeed (sorry for the pun). Romney would....what exactly? Nullify a free and fair election in Egypt? Attack Iran? Punish the majority of Libyans for the transgressions of a few? Stop the protests against the anti-Mohammed film...by refusing to acknowledge Muslims' hurt and upset over the ax job on their central religious figure?
And this makes us safer under Romney? I, along with the majority of others, think not.
Covering up an outright war on our interests on 9/11 and feeding the Americans a load of crap about an obscure movie promotion is how the Obama machine handles an international crisis.
Everytime you libs post with your poor grammar and spelling, it tells me all about that 47%.
Everytime Republicans open their mouths, 47% of the nation shakes their heads in embarrassment.
You cannot be serious.
If I had one dollar for everytime I've posted:
"Ryan's budget calls for a 1/3rd reduction in education spending, you should seriously consider the consequences of that"
to every conservative poster demonstrating a total lack of spelling, grammar and punctuation I would be as rich as Romney!!
It's a Karl Rove thing. It's like republicans saying that Obama is lying.
"The middle class is doing just fine."
"spread the wealth."
"what we're seeing in the Middle East is just a bump in the road."
Talk about being totally out of touch.
Anyone but Obama 2012.
Why is that the right wing is screaming and shrieking for some sort of military action in the middle east, wasn't Iraq enough, more Americans fitted for body bags apparently doesn't seem to faze these mongers of hate and the blood lust is boiling.
Go ahead and nuke the entire middle east, that'll teach'em, turn half the world into a giant glass sheet, no, then all you advocates for war sign up today and leave my kids, brother, sister, friends home.
W's bogus war is on the repeat button for the romney fans. Amazing.
Obama 2012
I must have missed that, who is saying send in th troops?
I don't hear Romney talking about going to war. I guess I missed that. Or maybe that's just the bull$hit spin from the liberal media lying about Romney's position. He is advocating a stronger American image and not keeping up the apology tour that started 2008 when our apologist in chief took the throne.
The right isn't clamoring for another war.
But we do believe Obama, if it serves his political purpose, will fail to support Israel.
If that happens, we'll be in a war like it or not.
Appeasement will never work against the Islamists. Obama's lack of leadership has created a vacuum, now filled by Islamists, Russia, etc. Evidence Syria as exhibit A. Iran is flying troops and weapons to Assad, Russia is supporting Assad, and where is the USA?
Sitting on our hands pretending it will all work out somehow.
Lloyd - No that's not spin - that was Obamas own words on 60 Minutes. He's a big bull crap machine like the media.
read the post, the true followers of right wing republicans are calling for action, of course mitt wouldn't call for a strike, might cut into his paper wealth. Just pussy footing around as if he knows anything of the middle east other than that's were oil comes from. If the US doesn't have Israel's back why did the President authorize additional aid and Bebe accept it, Israel gets attacked poof goes Iran, that's a fact.
Obama 2012
why haven't we seen all of the rioting at our foreign embassies on the major news channels only on fox is it because our president and his news buddies don't want us to know how bad his foreign policies are. maybe why four of our people where killed last week. Why aren't we being shown these horrible pictures from cnn,nbc,cbs,? Whake up America
This guy will grasp at anything to change the tune of his deflating campaign.
He himself said :
"The Palestinians make the whole peace thing impossible"
"He wouldn't go after bin Laden"
"The security at the Olympics is questionable"
All para-phrased but factually correct.
It seems strange the guy with NO foreign policy experience is criticizing the guy who got us out of Iraq, got Bin Laden and doesn't put his foot in his mouth every time he sees a microphone.
Do you think that Obama spiking the football over Bin Laden over and over again and bombing them with drones have something to do with them hating us and the reason for the violence?
Surprised that Romney even knows what middle east stands for.
White House, Libya a bump in the road, no maybe not, let's think about that, give us a week we'll get back to you.
The ambassador is tortured and killed, Obama goes off to Nevada for a fund raiser, returns to DC, responds to Romney's comment and apologizes to the killers. What a great American!!
The President didn't apologize, what's wrong with you, prove it.
Obama 2012
Show us where Obama apologizes to the killers. Prove it, I need transcripts. It didn't happen, so give me a source.
It was pretty clear the "Oh you poor abused Muslims" was an apology in effect, if not in an actual "I'm sorry"
common, very common, there was no apology and it was not implied. What would you have the President do, launch an air strike, pick a target. Jeez.
Obama 2012
Yeah and romney sticks his silver spoon in it, makes sense.
Obama 2012
Obama hasn’t apologized for anything. It’s a republican lie. Like the Welfare lie. The Medicare lie. The Obama raising taxes on the middle class lie. The Obama forcing same sex marriage on the entire country lie. When you have no ethics, you don’t mind if your leader don’t have any either.
Mitt the Flip goes off on a tour of Britain and then the Middle East and everyone over there and in America is saying, "We didn't think it was possible to have anyone quite so mentally challenged as GW Bush but it looks like Romney may just have come close! Americans won't let this happen again!
If you don't like Mr. Obama Republicans, for christs sake come up with at least a intelligent alternative! And preferrably one who can think outside a stone age mentality!
Kick the ball down the field Mitt!!! Punt!! Go eat your caviar and play croquet with your b**** wife.
Nice Jason - Nice. Hope you contract MS and DIE.
I'll probably get AIDS from you first.
Sorry Jason you will have to contract that from one of your Roman Bath buddies and with any luck Obamacare will tell you that the drugs are too expensive.
both, nice posts, Jason's was a bit over the top but yours are so clever putz.
Obama 2012
This is how Obama thinks. He looks at events that he has played a major part in causing and those are "Bumps". In his mind they are. Typical narcissistic thinking. If he were caught in a three-way by Michelle he would tell her that's a 'bump' in their marriage.
The buck does not stop with him. He takes it and spends it.
How any thinking person did or would consider voting for him even once let alone TWICE may mean that bump on your cranium is a tumor and is killing your ability to think.
4,447 Americans body bagged just a major crater, Afghanistan 11 years for nothing, no nation building, just another on-going crater.
Dr. Strangelove is among us in the guise of Mitt Romney, money is of paramount importance and 47% of us is sucking it from his personal coffers.
Obama 2012