NOTE: To see my choice as the Romney PHOTOGRAPH OF THE DAY along with a tribute to the men and women of America’s armed forces, click through below the line and scroll to the end.

In my opinion, Chris Wallace of FOX News is one of the best journalists alive. He is tough in his questions, but most fair, I believe. He is equally tough will all those he interviews. He is by far the most prepared of any journalist I have seen on television and is always ready with an intelligent comeback to any answer provided by the person being interviewed. If Wallace has any partisan biases, I have been unable to detect them.

Remember the question that Governor Romney was asked in the last debate about the biggest misconception voters have of him? Remember he chose to answer that question with a more substantive reply, providing information voters could use? In the following video, Wallace asks him that question again and this time he answers it directly.

Governor Romney provides important answers that the voters need to hear in Michigan and Arizona. His answers are unambiguous and I believe outstanding. Wallace asks questions on the following topics:

• Afghanistan — Obama’s announced withdrawal and recent apology
• Gov. Romney’s winning margin in Michigan in 2008 & expected margin Tuesday
• Who’s going to win Michigan Tuesday?
• Gov. Romney’s recommendation to allow the auto companies to go through bankruptcy
• Gov. Romney’s more detailed economic plan detailed
• Two Cadillacs

Governor Romney exudes a high level of confidence in this clip. I realize I am biased, but I think any objective viewer would agree that Governor Romney is the brightest of the four candidates left in the race. Clearly, he is not merely recalling facts as Gingrich does, but is speaking as an economic and financial expert with decades of experience as a chief executive. See next page for the video, photo, and tribute. Read more…

Nationally syndicated talk radio host Hugh Hewitt interviewed Mitt Romney yesterday. During the course of the exchange, Romney answered questions about Republican Super Committee offerings to eliminate key tax deductions, the Dept of Defense, Obama’s rhetoric, and more…

Mitt Romney On The Supercommittee, The President’s Rhetoric About America, China and Afghanistan
By: Hugh Hewitt
Friday, November 18, 2011

Just taped an interview with former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney which will air with the transcript posted here. My projection of the state of the race slips into the conversation when I call him “Mr. President” before correcting myself. On a serious note, he asserts that now is not the time to (1) be tinkering with the home mortgage interest deduction or (2) withdrawing the surge troops from Afghanistan even as he predicts it would be very difficult to reintroduce troops into Iraq after our bases our shuttered there.

[...]
HH: … Senator Pat Toomey and Representative Jeb Hensarling, two of our Supercommittee Republicans, have put forward a plan that calls for lowering tax rates across the board, and extending the current tax rates permanently, but to do so by cutting three key deductions – mortgage home interest, state and local taxes, and charities. What do you make of their plan, and the extra $300 billion in extra revenue it says it will raise?

MR: Well, I haven’t seen their specific proposal, so I’m not going to sign up for it, of course, without reviewing it. My own view is that the idea of limiting deductions in the way the Bowles-Simpson panel recommended makes a good deal of sense. I’d like to see us have lower tax rates, and have a broader base. And it sounds like their idea is looking for a way of doing that. I must admit, I don’t think that this is a great time to be eliminating the home mortgage interest deduction. We obviously have a lot of trouble in the housing sector right now, but I haven’t seen their proposal. It may work just fine, but I just haven’t seen it, so I wouldn’t want to comment on that. But the home mortgage interest deduction right now is something that I think we need to keep in place.

HH: Let me talk to you about the charitable deduction, because obviously without it, churches, synagogues, schools, hospitals, colleges, they’re all going to get hammered. Is that a good idea for us to weaken the not-for-profit sector?

MR: Well, you know, anytime you talk about lowering the rates and expanding the base, why, you’re talking about eliminating certain deductions. And I for one value the charitable contribution deduction. I recognize that in my own view, the American people do a better job picking charities that make a difference in the lives of people than government does. I mean, government wants to get our money so they can take care of people. I don’t think the government does as well as our charities do, and I’d rather let people in the marketplace of ideas send their money to charities they think will have the biggest impact. So I don’t like getting rid of the charitable deduction, either.

HH: There is a $600 billion dollar sequestration over the horizon, Governor Romney, that if the Supercommittee doesn’t get a deal done, will kick into the Department of Defense in 2013 with devastating consequences. If that happens, if that’s on the calendar to happen because of the failure, will you campaign, if you’re the nominee against President Obama, to reverse that sequestration?

MR: Absolutely. This is a Faustian choice that the President and his people put in place. The idea of drastic cuts to our national security at a time when the world is as dangerous as it is, and when frankly, we have men and women in harm’s way around the world, is a terrible idea. Even Secretary Panetta, who works for President Obama, has said that these cuts would be draconian. And I just, I vehemently disagree with the course that’s being set. I think it was a very bad idea to put our national security on the chopping block, and will, if elected president, reverse those cuts, and reverse the prior cuts that President Obama has made to Defense as well. Look, my view is we need to upgrade our weapons systems, we need to have more troops, more active duty personnel, and we need to increase our commitment to caring for our veterans. We’ve got a lot of veterans who need a lot of help.

Governor Romney has stated his intent to eliminate Defense Dept waste/duplication spending and to implement vigorous bidding for armed services procurement. Savings will be reinvested in our military.

On Obama:

HH: Governor Romney, in just the last six weeks, President Obama has said three extraordinary things. In Orlando, he said, or to an Orlando television station, he said this is a great, great country that has gotten a little soft, and we don’t have the same competitive edge that we needed. In San Francisco, he said we’ve lost our ambition, our imagination and our willingness to do the things that built the Golden Gate Bridge and the Hoover Dam. And in Hawaii, just this week, he said we’ve been a little bit lazy over the last couple of decades. He’s gone from apologizing for America abroad to a soft sort of contempt for it at home. What do you make of this?

MR: You know, I don’t think that President Obama understands America. I don’t think he understands what makes America work. I think his failure to get this economy going flows from the fact that he doesn’t understand how free individuals and free enterprise drive the American economy. He is under the mistaken impression that government is what makes America work. And so he’s done the governmental things he wanted to do, and not surprisingly, they have not worked to help the economy, so he’s trying to find someone to blame. And having begun by blaming President Bush, and then blaming Congress and Republicans and ATM machines, he’s finally come down to blaming the American people. And the truth is, as Harry Truman pointed out, the buck stops at his desk. His desk is where the mistakes have been made, and it is not the American people that don’t know what to do. It’s American people who are being oppressed and overwhelmed by a government that is simply too intrusive in our lives. We’ve got to scale back the size of the federal government. And if we do that, America will be cooking again, and he’s simply wrong to suggest it’s the American people’s fault.

(emphasis added )

Governor Romney also offered his opinion on the European debt crisis and foreign affairs, including China, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Read the entire interview here.

Note: Hugh Hewitt is also a columnist for the Examiner, an author, a law professor at Chapman University Law School, and an evangelical Christian. He blogs daily at HughHewitt.com.

► Jayde Wyatt

Standing aboard the USS Yorktown today, a World War II-era aircraft carrier in South Carolina, Mitt Romney addressed veterans and offered a preview of his foreign policy speech which he will present tomorrow:

“The speech will present a strategy for securing America’s enduring interests and ideals in a world of growing threats, and it will discuss specific policies to implement that strategy. It is a strategy that does not assume American decline, but recognizes that American strength — in our values, economic strength, and military strength — is the best ally peace has ever known. “Andrea Saul a Romney for President Spokesperson said in a statement.” This is a strategy of American leadership, one in which our ties with our allies are strong and our policies clear and resolute.”

From ABC News:

“You would think the President would recognize the importance of the US military,” Romney said. “My view is, we cannot and should not shrink the Department of Defense budget.”

Romney says he would rebuild the Navy, Air Force, and add 100,000 active duty personnel. He also says he would treat veterans the way they should be treated.

“I will protect the United States of America by protecting a strong military,” said Romney. “I don’t want to go down the path Europe did by cutting back their military. Europe doesn’t have it right. America has it right. I will not shrink the military budget.”

More:

Romney said he would protect the United States by protecting the nation’s military and cut spending at the Defense Department to reduce waste. But he said the nation would be mistaken to follow the example of European nations, which cut their military and then use the savings for social programs.
[…]
The investment is necessary, he said, because the U.S. faces increased threats from emerging countries such as China, India and Russia as well as threats from unstable nations such as Pakistan, which possess nuclear weapons.

With the Citadel as his backdrop (also known as the military college of SC), Romney will deliver his foreign policy speech tomorrow morning (Oct 7th) in the Buyer Auditorium in Charleston at 10:45 AM ET.

On October 3rd, Romney did a radio interview with Sean Hannity. He was asked about his upcoming speech. Listen here.

Later tomorrow afternoon, The Gov will also speak to veterans at 2:00 PM at Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant, SC.

When/if viewing info becomes available, we’ll post it here and on MRC chat. Check back for updates.

UPDATE: I’ve removed the CNN link; it isn’t working. The speech is also being livestreamed here. Another livestream link may be found here. H/t to Mitch for this Politico link.

► Jayde Wyatt

Even though Mitt Romney is comfortably ahead in New Hampshire, he’s not taking anything for granted. He spent a very busy day in New Hampshire yesterday; here’s what his schedule looked like (7/14/11):

» Toured Redhook Ale Brewery, Addressed Rotary Club
1 Redhook Way, Portsmouth, N.H.
12:00 PM

(click on photo to enlarge)

Video of Romney’s Rotary Club address may be found here.

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» Toured RSA Realty
60 Farmington Road, Rochester, N.H.
2:00 PM

After Portsmouth, The Gov hit the road to Rochester to visit with folks at RSA Realty & Development:

Earlier in the day, his campaign released a web video in which RSA Realty owner Packy Campbell, a former state representative, says his business once had 35 workers but now employs just his wife and himself.

“Unemployment is still over 9 percent,” Campbell said in the video. “I don’t see the economy as getting any better. Right now, I think the government’s trying too hard to help, and it’s kind of like when I’m doing a job and someone’s trying to help and they’re being counterproductive.”

(link added)

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» Held Town Hall meeting at Adams Memorial Opera House
29 West Broadway Street, Derry, N.H.
6:00 PM

The Derry Republican Town Committee sponsored the Town Hall meeting in the historic Adams Memorial Opera House. It was packed with NH residents who asked questions on topics ranging from environmental regulation, the debt ceiling, immigration policy, the war in Afghanistan, and more:

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Romney’s schedule for today:

» Participating in Round Table discussion, North Country community leaders
1876 Riverside Drive, Berlin, NH

UPDATE on Round Table in Berlin:

Romney chose a visit to a struggling pocket of New Hampshire for Friday’s meeting with local business leaders, where he criticized Obama’s economic policies and touted his private sector experience.

New Hampshire had the highest median household income of any U.S. state in 2010, and currently has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the United States, at 4.8 percent.

But Coos County in the northern part of the state has not shared New Hampshire’s good fortune.

Once home to several large paper mills, Coos County lost 2,000 jobs in the forestry and paper industry between 2001 and 2009 out of a population of 32,000, according to data from Berlin’s city government.

Efforts at redevelopment have stalled. A $276 million federal prison completed in 2010 in Berlin stands empty because Congress has failed to allot funds to hire staff.

Plans for a proposed biomass electricity plant that would have brought $25 million annually into the local economy stalled after New Hampshire’s other woodchip-burning power producers lobbied against the plant.

Joanne Roy, 51, who sold Romney a $6 slice of raspberry pie at her cafe in the town, said she was leaning toward voting for him in the primary as the Republican’s best hope of defeating Obama in the 2012 general election.

“I didn’t think he would be this personable,” she said. “He’s a business person first rather than a politician.”

(my emphasis)


► Jayde Wyatt