Veterans have Romney's ear

The Citizen of Laconia, NH ^ | May 29, 2007 | Cutter Mitchell

[Unmarked Package]

Presidential hopeful and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney had a very frank conversation with veterans this Memorial Day at the American Legions Post 72 in Alton.

Romney, met by a full house, talked with the veterans in attendance not only about veterans' affairs and military stance, but the condition of the country and where it is headed with respect to things like energy and immigration.

"These Americans that are willing to put themselves in harm's way for their country should know that their country will take care of them when they come home," Romney said.

Romney, who maintains a residence in Wolfeboro just up the road from Alton, explained that, embedded in the Veterans Administration and most other aspects of federal government there is an enormous amount of inefficiency.

"We need to take some of the efficiencies of the private sector and put them to use in Washington," said Romney.

Attesting to what the former governor was talking about was Iraq War veteran Brian Roy who told Romney that, because of some bureaucratic red tape, a broken foot has remained that way for more than a year.

Looking to such problems and those that a new generation of veterans entering the system will face, Romney said it is more important than ever to have a handle on programs for veterans.

That is a sentiment that State Senator Joseph Kenney, R-Wakefield, could not agree with or personally understand more.

Lt. Colonel Kenney, of whom Romney is a constituent, served in Iraq from September 2005 to February 2006. Based on his experience with those soon-to-become veterans, he explained that the number of veterans returning from the battlefield and the issues they face are new to the system and demand a new approach to deal with them.

"The types of injuries we see our soldiers coming out of the Middle East with [can be] horrific and require a certain level of health care," said Kenney.

Romney added that, with a two times the number of soldiers surviving injuries than in the past, thanks to combat-ready medical care, the government is faced with a blessing and a problem that will require a new look at long term care for veterans.

The presidential candidate promised, if elected in 2008, to bolster the county's military to fend off those who have waged war on the United States.

"There continue to be evil people in the world that would do us harm," said Romney.

Romney said that, by winning an economic battle — providing Middle Eastern nations with technology and education — the U.S. can do away with the extremist elements.

He criticized the Democrats in Congress for admitting defeat in Iraq by holding up funding while trying to set a withdrawal date.

Romney said there will be a successful outcome from President George W. Bush's troop surge if the Democrats would hang on for the final stage of the country's involvement in Iraq, letting the people get what he called their "sea legs."

Among the state officials attending Romney's talk was former U.S. Congressman Jeb Bradley who said he was glad to see Romney come and talk with the veterans, sharing views on issues he whole heartedly agrees with.

Bradley, along with others in the Republican party all over the state, failed to win reelection to Congress, suffering a nationwide backlash against the party that had held a majority over the past several years. He described the outreach by candidates such as Romney as a real push by the Republican party to reconnect with the political infrastructure that was lost in the past election.

A whole host of other topics that veterans brought up were answered by the former Massachusetts governor, including his stance on issues from foreign oil dependency to immigration.

With particular focus on the energy policy of this country, Romney pledged to have a plan to rid America of its foreign oil dependence by the time voters hit the ballot box in 2008. He said the biggest hope in this area is alternative energy, with funding dedicated to new energy development.

"I want to thank [all of] you for the service you've given," said Romney, keeping the day focused on those who it was meant for.

[George W. Bush]

I look forward to seeing FT in a debate...

I think that will tell us a lot. Fred has never run nationally and it's a different ballgame. He may take off big, he may stay flat or even lose ground. Expectations for him with some people are getting impossibly high.

Newt says he's running one week, denying it the next. Given how many times he's said that he won't declare until fall if he does enter, I think he'll wait but not run. Most of Newt's current thing is just being an attention whore to keep the libmedia nibbling and asking him to appear on talking head shows. Because without a possible presidential run, no one wants to talk to Newt at all. And Newt loves attention.

[WFTR]

I think you're right about Newt Gingrich. He'll always have his faithful supporters, but has no chance of building a national movement. He's better off standing on the sideline and saying what he would have done if he'd decided to run.

We'll select most of the delegates by February 5, but I still believe that three viable candidates will emerge from Super Tuesday. One will be very weak, but three should emerge. On February 6, we'll start the process of coming together around someone who can beat Rudy Giuliani. I hope we'll keep things fair and civil so that whoever emerges won't be too damaged to win.

Bill

[George W. Bush]

On February 6, we'll start the process of coming together around someone who can beat Rudy Giuliani. I hope we'll keep things fair and civil so that whoever emerges won't be too damaged to win.

McStain and the leftwing mayor won't go quietly. But I don't think they'll be capable of that much damage. McStain made himself look bad with that crack about Romney getting his shotgun and chasing those Guatamalans off his lawn. I think McStain implodes on his own with his voters going to Thompson and Romney. I think Thompson takes half of Giuliani's voters away the day he announces simply because they've realized that Rudi is just way too liberal for the South and Midwest. And the conservative Catholic bloggers who ran CatholicsAgainstKerry just happen to be ready to launch their anti-Rudi campaign about the time Thompson gets in the race.

We could see the leftwing mayor and McStain down close to single digits by fall, especially in the three early primaries. That's what I'm hoping anyway.