Posted on 01/31/2008 1:51:45 PM PST by fallingwater
Mitt Romney compared rival John McCain with late President Richard Nixon Thursday, accusing McCain of persistently misrepresenting Romney’s position on the Iraq war for political gain in a style “reminiscent of the Nixon era.”
Romney’s sharp criticism spilled over from the GOP debate in California the night before, where he said McCain was resorting to old-style “dirty tricks” by claiming Romney supported a timetable for troop withdrawal.
Romney’s campaign announced Thursday it would be going on air in several major states voting Feb. 5, when 21 states hold GOP contests.
McCain leveled the troop-withdrawal charge the weekend before Tuesday’s Florida primary, which he won, and repeated it at the debate. But Romney has persistently said he does not support a timetable for withdrawal.
“I think he took a sharp detour off the straight-talk express by stooping to the attack he did, and then of course by him continuing to say it is a very strange thing. And as I mentioned last night, every independent voice that I’ve seen has pointed out that what he’s done is disingenuous and not honorable,” Romney said in Long Beach, Calif., Thursday.
“Had he a question about this he could have raised it any time between April and now, but to raise it outside a debate and to do it … to people in Florida was something reminiscent of the Nixon era and I don’t think I want to see our party go back to that kind of campaigning. “
Romney is locked in a taut contest with McCain, and is trying to derail the Arizona senator’s mounting momentum off his wins in Florida, South Carolina and New Hampshire.
(Excerpt) Read more at youdecide08.foxnews.com ...
He said nixon era today while campaigning, not last night.
;)
As Lee Atwater once said: “If you are explaining, you are losing”
At least we now have the transcript of the debate exchange for the archives. :-)
If Romney approved of his actions he probably would have gotten him the permits for the lights and siren on his car.
When word of his behavior became known, he got the boot.
It's not good that someone Romney relied on was that loose with following the law, but it's not the same as McCain himself being the once using Nixon type techniques.
It's hard to tell if the rant on the plumbing company voice mail was Garrity or not from the information available. If so, the idiot needs mental care. The badges are also stupid. As governor he would have had a State Police escort, so Garrity would have likely been able to have a real state trooper take care of things. Impersonating a trooper would have been both stupid and unnecessary.
Illegally installing a siren and lights would also be stupid and unnecessary because he could have probably gotten proper authorization.
He sounds unbalanced, but probably presented himself quite well to Romney as a reliable and efficient operations guy.
As for misleading the a reporter that was following them? Not very bright, but I can't say I car or blame him. I guess the Times reporters get offended when it's someone else doing the misleading.
"Politics ain't beanbag: 'tis a man's game, and women, children 'n' pro-hy-bitionists had best stay out of it."
I don't care much for taglines but I may need this one for awhile if I stay on this thread.
The captain of the Romney Sleaze Machine has a lot of damn nerve making a charge like that. He has his own private Donald Segretti running around out there faking push polls and spreading rumors.
I'm telling you guys, Romney is not a Republican. He's a dyed-in-the-wool Rockefeller who'll do anything and say anything to get elected.
Don’t feel bad, FRiend. It happens to all of us (certainly to me).
It seems it is Leisler who is doing the crying, because the lie didn’t stick.
What's the difference? Nixon, Clinton, Johnson. Liars one and all.
On our local talk radio show this morning there was women caller who used to live next door to him in AZ. She said was a republican party worker. She said at times you could hear him yelling from outside the house. I don’t know if this true, but I have noticed that his wife seems to keep a safe distance from him when they are together in public. It reminding me of ex sister -in-law whose first husband was very verbally abusive. She always kept a certain distance between them in public and didn’t say much. She divorced him after 9 month much to the families delight.
Well, I guess I’m out on Tuesday. Fine by me.
I have been a Republican my whole life and Nixon is the only R I refused to vote for. He was small, mean-spirited, vindictive man, just like McCain. Yes the media hated him, but they didn’t doctor the oval office tapes the man was vulgar, petty and paranoid.
LOL I can't wait. I'm going to be sitting here with my popcorn rooting for the Dems for the first time in my life.
Politics is a blood sport.
Suck it up Mitt, or loosen up the underwear and get
some breathing room...
But Mitt's seeking the nomination of the Republican Party to run against (presumably) Hillary Clinton in the general election. If he's gonna accuse McCain of using dirty tactics, why compare him to a deceased fellow Republican who last ran for office 36 years ago? Particularly when the Clinton machine provides a contemporary, and relevant, example of political corruption? I doubt that GOP primary voters have any particular animosity toward Nixon. Accusing McCain's tactics of being like Nixon's seems pristinely non-partisan. Accusing McCain of engaging in Clinton-type corruption would spark the attention of GOP primary voters in a positive way.
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