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December 22, 2007
Romney redefines what he 'saw'
Posted by: Chris
Anyone supporting Mitt Romney or considering doing so should read this first. In the same week where Romney went on "Meet the Press" and tried to spin his way through his reversal on a dizzying array of issues, he's now trying to dissemble his way out of a whopper from his big religion speech.
From MSNBC on Thursday:
Romney says that it depends on what the definition of "saw" is.
A defensive Romney was peppered with questions today on exactly what he meant when he said -- most recently on "Meet the Press" -- that he "saw" his father march with Martin Luther King Jr. Recent articles have indicated that his father, the late Michigan Gov. George Romney, didn't march with the civil-rights leader.
Admitting that he didn't see the march with his own eyes, he said, "I 'saw' him in the figurative sense."
"The reference of seeing my father lead in civil rights," he said, "and seeing my father march with Martin Luther King is in the sense of this figurative awareness of and recognition of his leadership."
"I've tried to be as accurate as I can be," he continued, smiling firmly. "If you look at the literature or look at the dictionary, the term 'saw' includes being aware of -- in the sense I've described."
If this is Mitt Romney "trying to be as accurate as he can be," then that says something about Mitt Romney. The story itself isn't particularly consequential, but that's exactly the point. If he will exaggerate the facts on something small, and then not admit error when he is caught dead to rights for doing so, it raises serious questions about how he would handle bigger whoppers, or just plain mistakes.
The New York Times actually put together a collection of Romney's exaggerations -- "Romney learns that 'facts are stubborn things'"-- which bring to mind Al Gore's famous claims to having invented the Internet, etc. But Gore wasn't also under scrutiny for having reinvented himself to run for national political office. Between the flip-flops and the fibs and the dissembling, Mitt Romney comes across as not only lacking in integrity, but as a bit of an empty suit.
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Comments
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I agree the issue itself isn't significant, but his handling of it is. I should add that several publications have also pointed out that his father never even marched with MLK himself. So he exaggerated both "saw" and "with MLK" and when called on it, tried spinning his way out.
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and when called on it, tried spinning his way out.
The comments to this entry are closed.
Christao on Dec 22, 2007 8:24:53 PM:
I don't know, Chris. I'm not a Romney supporter, but this whole "saw" debate is making a mountain out of a mole hill. It is very easy to understand that when he said that he saw his father march with Dr. King, he was refering to his father's involvement in the civil rights marches. There's plenty of ammo to go after Mitt with, but this is grasping at straws.