Brian Lamb from C-Span |
Figured all of us political junkies would like to see this…Politico interviewed Brian Lamb the founder of C-Span in conjunction with C-Span’s 30th Birthday.
Gov. Mitt Romney on Larry King Live - Transcript |
Here’sssssssssssssss Romney:
Tags: CNN, Interview, Larry King, Larry King Live, Mitt RomneyLarry King: Some are seeing a problem with the president doing the “Tonight Show,” the first sitting president ever to do a late-evening [talk] show. Do you have a problem with it?
Mitt Romney: Well, this probably isn’t the right time for it. I line up with Warren Buffett on this. I prefer to see the president focusing all of his time and energy on the economy.
King: That’s what he was talking about.
Romney: He is talking about it. He’s out doing a rally in California. He’s posing for the cover of magazines and doing a number of things. He’s putting together a health care plan, putting together a cap and trade program, a lot of things on the agenda.
And frankly, if you’re doing too many things, a couple of important things can slip by. And one of them that slipped by was the AIG legislation that allowed AIG executives to get these bonuses. It was put in a specific bill.
King: Are you as angered over this AIG thing as probably 90 percent of the public?
Romney: Yes, my view is that this is really the fault of two parties. One, the members of our government that weren’t paying attention, at best. That’s the most favorable way to characterize it. …
The other, of course, is the folks at AIG. And you ask yourself, why couldn’t they have done what other enterprises do that get in trouble, which is people come together; they talk about the sacrifice they are going to make to try and keep the enterprise going. But these guys seemed not to be willing to do that. …
This is a president who is learning on the fly. He’s never turned anything around before. He hasn’t had the experience of leading a nation or a business or a state in trouble. And the first rule I can tell him is focus, focus, focus.
King: How do you account for the fact that his popularity stays high?
Romney: I know that people recognize that this is a man who is a decent fellow. He’s intelligent. He’s well-intentioned. He’s just not experienced in the matters that we’re dealing with right now.
King: The latest polls say you are the leader to get the party’s nomination the next time around. Others say it’s Rush Limbaugh leading the party. Is he the head of your party?
Romney: He’s a very powerful voice among conservatives. And I listen to him. A lot of other people listen to him. He’s not a spokesman for the party, of course. But we don’t have one spokesman right now.
Don’t Miss
Romney picked as GOP front-runner in 2012
King: You are apparently [leading] in recent polls …Romney: Kind of early, don’t you think?
King: Are you going to run again?
Romney: I can’t imagine making that decision at this point.
King: But you’re going to run again.
Romney: No, I don’t think [so]. I’m glad that you’re so insistent.
King: What did you make of Gov. [Sarah] Palin?
Romney: Boy, she was able to connect with our party in a very powerful way, ignite a lot of enthusiasm and excitement. That kind of political skill is rare. I hadn’t met her before the announcement that she was going to be our VP nominee.
And I thought, boy, she’s going to have a tough time up there on the stage at the Republican convention. Was I wrong. She got out there and just lit the place up.
King: The House today passed a measure to slap a hefty tax on big employee bonuses paid by companies getting federal bail outs. Good idea?
Romney: Well, look, everybody is mad at AIG and their executives for doing what they did. But to suggest that this is not the fault of the people in Congress who passed the specific measure allowing them to take these bonuses is a diversionary tactic and wrong. You don’t have a government take punitive action against a small group of people. Frankly, it’s unconstitutional, in my view.
King: Former President Bush said he’s not going to spend anytime criticizing Obama. He says he deserves silence. However, former Vice President [Dick] Cheney is taking a very different tact, charging that he’s making choices which would make us vulnerable for another attack. Which way do you go here?
Romney: Well, I think there’s a standard which is applied to former presidents, and that standard is that they have had their time on the stage and it’s best for them to step aside and let the new president have his or her chance. I think President Bush is doing the right thing.
King: Do you think we’re more vulnerable to an attack?
Romney: I think if we’re going to release the detainees that are in Guantanamo and put them out either in our own prisons or at prisons in nations that are going to release them, that will make us less secure. … I’m glad that President Obama decided to pull back on his original plans to immediately bring our troops home from Iraq. We’re succeeding there. He’s decided to go a little more slowly. … That’s the right course, and I appreciate that.
King: Do you have faith in American business?
Romney: Yes. … Every job we have that isn’t working for [the] government comes because somebody had an idea and began a business. Small business people, big business people, they’re just American citizens who took a risk, and some of them find the chance to make that risk became positive and generate jobs and income. That’s a great thing.
King: What about when business goofs?
Romney: To err is human and to make bad decisions is also human. You’ve seen some very bad characters. But whether that’s an executive or a basketball player or a politician, it’s throughout every society I know of. … I’m not going to be taking my time taking pot shots at the entire profession of business or any other profession in this country. Except maybe lawyers — I’m kidding.
King: Your wife has multiple sclerosis, a disease some scientists think will be cured through stem cell research. How is she doing?
Romney: She’s doing terrifically well. She’s riding horses on a regular basis. And she’s one of the few that has had very little progression from the disease. So I’m pleased and hopeful.
King: Do you support the stem cell thing?
Romney: I support stem cell research. I do not support creating new embryos for the purpose of taking away the life of that embryo, and taking stem cells from those embryos.
King: Do you think we’re going to cure MS?
Romney: I sure hope so. I think eventually we’ll be curing most of the major diseases we know during our lifetimes.
Like shooting fish in a barrel…Lindsay GrahamJanuary 28th, 2008 | 5 Comments | Posted in 2008 Election, Amnesty, Arrogant, CNN, Character, Dirty Campaigning, Dirty Politics, Disgust, Disgusting, Florida, Foreign Policy, Interview, Interviews, Iraq, John McCain, John McCain, John McCain gets ugly, McCain, McCain Lie, McLie, Media Appearances, Michelle Malkin, Mitt Romney, Mitt Romney, Video, negativity
|
H/T: Hotair and a tip from a friend of mine
First, here’s Grahamnesty playing dumb under an onslaught of facts from Sean Hannity and attacking Romney for allegedly supporting a timeline for surrender.
Putting that clip together with this link from Time Magazine from back in September, however, makes me think that perhaps Grahamnesty was just confused and projecting onto Romney his own desire and advocacy for a timeline to surrender.
Wednesday, Sep. 26, 2007
Lindsey Graham’s Iraq Deadline
By Michael Duffy/WashingtonSen. Lindsey Graham, a pivotal Republican vote in the U.S. Senate on Iraq policy, is willing to give the government of Iraq until Christmas to get its act together.
But not much more.
Graham told TIME Wednesday that the Iraqi leaders have 90 days to start resolving their political differences with real legislative agreements or face a change in strategy by the U.S. “If they can’t do it in 90 days,” he said, “it means the major players don’t want to.”
Graham, who has been to Iraq nearly a dozen times, including spending 11 days in August on duty as a reserve Air Force officer, pointed out that Washington has spent the last few weeks debating Iraq policy and emerged with a commitment to continuing the surge through the spring. That commitment, he said, is the green light for the Iraqis to finally take action on resolving their disagreements.But Graham, who is up for re-election in 2008, said he will not wait forever. “If they can’t pull it together in the next 90 days,” he said, “I don’t think they are ever gonna do it.” He followed that prediction with a promise: “If they don’t deliver in 90 days, I will openly say the chances for political reconciliation are remote.”
Graham said he believed the “conditions are ripe” for political deals between factions on de-Baathification, which would ease the way for participation of Sunni tribes in local Iraqi politics, and on the holding of local elections, which would allow Sunnis to take a greater role in the Shia-dominated country.
Graham first hinted at a 90-day clock in testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee September 19. In his comments before that panel, he merely predicted the world would see progress by Baghdad in the next 90 days.
In his conversation with TIME, he held out a stick in the event that progress does not materialize. Said Graham: “We’ve won the day here politically, to give them the infrastructure they need to do this. It’s been missing up until now. I am vocally saying it’s up to [the Iraqis] to deliver. We’ve done our part.”
Though he would not elaborate on what kind of plan he would push if the Iraqis fail to meet the deadline, Graham did say a change in strategy would be warranted. “If they can’t do it by the end of the year,” he said, “how do you justify a continued presence?”
In response to Graham’s comments, White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said Wednesday, “The President urged the Iraqi government to make progress on the political front in his meeting with Maliki yesterday. The President has also said that Petraeus and Crocker will report back in March, when they will be able to make a further assessment.”
Do McCandidate and his lap dog Grahamnesty really think that Republicans are this stupid?
By way of contrast, here’s the link to Mitt’s interview with Wolf Blitzer today. Note the good nature and humor with which he responds to McCain’s lies. Night and Day.
“THE WOMAN NEXT TO THE MAN”January 24th, 2008 | Comments Off | Posted in 2008 Election, Ann Romney, Interview, Mitt Romney, New To Romney
|
To compliment Ann Marie’s post just below this one, I decided to bring to the top an outstanding interview conducted by Autumn McAlpin last summer. Autumn is a professional writer and author. We were returning on a flight from Boston to California, after a national call day. As I recall, Autumn was able to spend over 90 minutes with Ann during this flight. I remember Autumn telling me how the first 15 minutes or so was a relaxed conversation in which Ann asked Autumn about her family. Incidentally, Autumn recently had a new addition to her family.
This is her post:
Ann Romney: The Woman Next to the Man
~ Vic
Tampa Bay CBS Affiliate Channel 10 Interviews Governor Romney |
Click Here For Story & Video
(Doesn’t he have the nicest smile?)
Romney on The Today Show (interviewed by Lester Holt).January 21st, 2008 | 3 Comments | Posted in Interview, Interviews, Lester Holt, Mitt Romney, The Today Show, Video
|
Sorry you have to watch a commercial before you get to the interview…
Harry Smith of CBS News Interviews Mitt RomneyJanuary 15th, 2008 | 3 Comments | Posted in CBS News, Harry Smith, Interview, Interviews, Mitt Romney
|
Romney on Larry King Live Last NightJanuary 15th, 2008 | 1 Comment | Posted in CNN, Interview, Interviews, Larry King, Larry King Live, Mitt Romney
|
Governor Mitt Romney on Larry King Live Tonight 9PM EasternJanuary 14th, 2008 | 6 Comments | Posted in CNN, Interview, Interviews, Larry King, Larry King Live, Mitt Romney
|
Be sure to set those Tivo’s, DVR’s, and VCR’s to make sure that you don’t miss the interview.
This morning, U.S. Senator Jim Talent sat down with me to express why he is such an ardent supporter of Governor Romney. A couple of things caught my attention as we began and I started asking questions related to Mike Huckabee. Senator Talent is a Evangelical Christian and is one of the strongest national leaders in promoting pro-life issues. His official title is Chairman, Domestic Policy Task Force – Mitt Romney for President, Inc. The interview was at the Romney Iowa Caucuses Headquarters in Des, Moines.
Press Release at the time Senator Talent joined Mitt Romney’s team
Senator Talent’s Wikipedia Description
The interview was conducted in a large, open space in what is effectively an office building among several tables and dozens of people making calls to get the vote out. After five minutes, about six volunteers joined us and actually helped me conduct the interview. How you ask? Well, I do not know short-hand, so first, their brief interruptions served to allow me time to better write my notes, and second, they had a couple of great questions that added to the interview!
Q: Why Romney and not other candidates such as Huckabee?
“Governor Romney is the only candidate with the whole package necessary to defeat the Democrats in the general election. The others do not have what it takes including Giuliani, Huckabee, McCain, or Thompson.
None of the other candidates are as effectively pro-life as Governor Romney. All you have to do is look at what he did as governor of Massachusetts. Nobody fought harder in the protection of traditional marriage than Governor Romney and nobody was more effective in fighting for life at the early stages than Governor Romney. Regardless of any of the candidates’ positions in the pro-life agenda, Governor Romney is the only one that will be the strong, effective pro-life leader. He is the only one who will serve the pro-life agenda in a truly effective way.
Governor Romney is the only Republican candidate who can accomplish all of three of the following:
• Unify and mobilize the entire the Republican Party.
• Articulate an incredibly powerful message around 1) strong national defense, 2) strong families, and 3) a strong economy.
• Reach out to and connect with the center of America.Governor Romney is the only true, comprehensive conservative among all the Republican candidates.
Q: Why Governor Romney over Huckabee?
I like to ask the simple question, “What would happen if Mike Huckabee were to be the Republican nominee?”
Think about Hillary Clinton deciding to run to the right of Huckabee on crime and taxes. Clinton could easily challenge Huckabee on any number of issues and run to the right on his past. Crime for example: Huckabee pardoned or commuted the sentences of 1,033 felons. On taxes, Huckabee raised taxes on the middle class.
As a person who has run several campaigns myself and who has run a couple of very tough campaigns, I know how important it is to have adequate resources. Mitt Romney is the only Republican candidate who has the resources to wage a long, tough, national campaign against the Democrats; all the other Republican candidates are underfunded and do not have the necessary resources.
Governor Romney has the executive management skill of all candidates and his campaign is the best run campaign of all.
Anybody who has ever met Mitt Romney knows him as a very open and genuine person. It is very touching when he is with his family.
Governor Romney is the only Republican who will make many good things happen and prevent bad things from happening.
Neither McCain nor Huckabee can mobilize all conservatives of our nation. Neither has a strong record on tax cuts. Republicans will not be able to win the general election without a strong stand on illegal immigration and Mitt Romney is the only candidate who is strong in this critical issue.
I have been a strong pro-life advocate my whole life. Certainly, we should scrutinize the pro-life position of any leader that has converted from a pro-choice position. Those of us who are national leaders (James Bopp, Jr. and Jay Seculow) in the pro-life movement have performed that scrutiny of Governor Romney and know him to be absolutely committed to the pro-life agenda in every way. He is the strongest pro-life candidate running today.
This is important. The Massachusetts Citizens for Life do not give out their highest award to just anybody and they gave theirs to Governor Romney for his tireless work in Massachusetts for life issues!
Stayed tuned for more news from Iowa. I have been working all day, but based on the buzz around me and what I have seen here today, there is a lot going on FOR Governor Romney. There are lots of really cheerful, enthusiastic volunteers all around, coming and going. I have been around very organized projects my entire career. Nothing compares to this though.
Ann Romney stopped in and went around and met many volunteers along with Mary Romney (Craig’s wife I think) and her son. Scott Romney, Mitt’s brother also stopped in and gave a little update along with Senator Talent accompanied by cheers. Apparently tonight there is a rally for supporters. When you get a chance, look for updates from Jason Bonham over at My Man Mitt who is embedded with Governor Romney’s press corp as they fly around Iowa. I had dinner with Jason last night and he was pretty excited about today.
~ Vic
Mike Huckabee: 21st Century NostradamusDecember 30th, 2007 | 2 Comments | Posted in 2008 Election, Arrogant, Inane, Interview, Meet The Press, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney
|
During his interview with Tim Russert on Meet The Press this morning Mike Huckabee declared the following:
The fact is in light of what’s happened in the last week, some of my comments on Pakistan seem almost prophetic.
I have reached the conclusion that this guy really believes that God has chosen him to be President and that every word he utters carries the endorsement of the Deity.
Also it is very pompous for him to declare prophetic foresight on current issues in Pakistan when until his advisers briefed him before this show, he didn’t even seem to know where Pakistan was on the globe.
[ Copy this | Start New | Full Size ]