Romney talks up McCain, talks down Obama

Romney talks up McCain, talks down Obama

Email|Link|Comments (11)Posted by Foon Rhee, deputy national political editor May 7, 2008 06:15 PM
Mitt Romney may or may not be auditioning to be John McCain's running mate, but he was loyally on message today in his latest national TV appearance.

On CNN's "American Morning," the former Massachusetts governor, who dropped out of the GOP nomination race in February, said that Democratic front-runner Barack Obama would be easier prey for McCain than Hillary Clinton, who is barely hanging on. "I think she is flawed, but he is more flawed."

Repeating a line of criticism from the McCain campaign, Romney said of Obama: "He can read a prompter very well and energize a crowd, but he has not accomplished anything during his life in terms of legislation or leading an enterprise or making a business work or a city work or a state work. He really has very little experience, and, you know, the presidency of the United States is not an internship, and I honestly believe that you're going to see America choose somebody who has been tested and proven who has been able to demonstrate time and again that he understands how to make the economy work, he understands how our military works, he understands the needs of the country and the heart and passion of the American people."

Romney also said that there is a "bitter divide" in the Democratic Party and that he agrees with Clinton's and Obama's critiques of each other: "We were watching Hillary Clinton assert time and again that Barack Obama is a liberal elitist. On the other hand, you have Barack Obama convincing the American voters that Hillary Clinton is a product of the Washington special interests."

And pressed over and over again about whether he believed it was a good idea, Romney refused to criticize McCain's proposal for a gas tax holiday this summer -- a plan derided by nearly all economists.

The closest Romney came was to say he looked at the idea while Bay State governor, but did not propose it.

"Well, I think it's a good idea to help people and right now Senator McCain wants to help people see lower gasoline bills," Romney said. "Of course, we all recognize that if we're going to become independent of our dependence on foreign oil, it's going to take a long-term strategy to get us off of foreign oil."