Governor Mitt Romney and wife, Ann, were guests on the CBS This Morning program today. Co-hosts Charlie Rose and Erica Hill conducted the interview.

Part 1 - Romney on Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng, Bin Laden death shouldn’t be campaign issue, VP posssibilities:

…Romney said the president “has every right to take credit” for ordering the mission.

Romney added: “At the same time, I think it was very disappointing for the president to try and make this a political item by suggesting that I wouldn’t have ordered such a raid. Of course I would have. Any American — any thinking American — would have ordered exactly the same thing. But of course you give the president the credit for the fact that he did so.”

Part 2 - After hearing, for the umpteenth time, questions about Mitt’s personality, Ann Romney says he’s still “wild and crazy”:

“I still look at him as the boy that I met in high school when he was playing all the jokes and really just being crazy — pretty crazy. So there’s a wild and crazy man inside there.”

Read more…

Readers of this MRC are well aware of Ambassador John Bolton’s endorsement five days ago of Governor Romney.

Well, yesterday Mr. Bolton said the conventional wisdom that Iran is about one year away from having a nuclear weapon may be incorrect — it might be sooner (read exclusive here). The fact that Ambassador Bolton is a senior adviser to Governor Romney, it is important to keep an eye on his public opinions, especially as they relate to decisions that a President Romney is likely to face upon taking office.

John Bolton

“I worry the publicly available information is giving only a very small picture and that Iran is actually even much further along,” Bolton said today in a radio interview.

Bolton was on “Aaron Klein Investigative Radio” on New York’s WABC Radio. The former ambassador was asked about a statement from a former head of U.N. nuclear inspections claiming Iran is now just a year or so away from having enough enriched uranium to assemble a nuclear bomb.

Olli Heinonen wrote in an article published earlier this week that Iran made this advancement after switching production of its higher-grade enriched uranium to a new, underground site.

Reacting to the one-year timeline, Bolton stated, “I think it can be even less than that.”
[emphasis added]

Hopefully sane minds in the Obama administration will prevail for the rest of 2012.

“For a people who are free, and who mean to remain so, a well-organized and armed militia is their best security.” –Thomas Jefferson

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I’d love to hear your opinions on this debate.

Check back later for more.

UPDATE – The full debate:

Ready for another presidential debate tonight? Weary GOP presidential hopefuls may be rejoicing that there is just one more day until Thanksgiving, but this one may prove to be a doozy…

Tonight’s event marks the first time Republican-leaning think tanks The Heritage Foundation and the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) have sponsored a presidential debate. CNN is also hosting, hence, moderator Wolf Blitzer.

Airing live, just down the street from the address each candidate hopes to occupy (1600 Pennsylvania Avenue) at the historic Daughters of the Revolution Constitution Hall, the excitement begins tonight at 8 p.m.-10 p.m. ET.

The format will zero in on national security and foreign policy issues. Expect to hear some on the economy, especially the Super Committee’s failure to come to an agreement to cut $1.2 trillion from our long-term debt. (As a result, Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s are threatening another downgrade to our credit rating…)

From AEI:

The Republicans vying to challenge Barack Obama in the 2012 presidential election have revealed precious little of their vision for American national security. Do they appreciate the implications of China’s rise? Do they understand the principles behind America’s alliance with Israel? What will their answer be to the challenge from Iran? How will they respond to the collapse of the Eurozone? Will they keep troops in Afghanistan? Can they articulate a clear vision for America’s role in the world?

Viewing/listening options:

TV - Airing nationally at 8 p.m. ET on CNN, CNN en Español, and worldwide on CNN International

Radio – CNN Radio

Livestream – CNN.com

► Jayde Wyatt

U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) will formally endorse Mitt Romney today at a rally in Nashua, New Hampshire.

Good news!

Mitt Romney has garnered the first endorsement from a U.S. senator in any of the early states in the GOP race. Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) is not only backing Romney, she will serve as Co-Chair of his National Advisory Committee:

UnionLeader.com
By Alexander Burns
11/19/11

MANCHESTER — U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte will back Mitt Romney for President on Sunday in the first endorsement of a Republican presidential hopeful by a member of the state’s congressional delegation.

The New Hampshire Sunday News and UnionLeader.com have learned that the freshman lawmaker will formally endorse the former Massachusetts governor Sunday at 2:30 p.m. when she appears with him at a rally at Nashua City Hall. They will then visit nearby Jackie’s Diner to meet with voters.

Ayotte, a Nashua native and resident, is the biggest “get” so far in the New Hampshire primary sweepstakes.

Although endorsements by top elected officials don’t often sway independent-minded rank-and-file voters in the “Live Free or Die” state, the former attorney general is viewed as the most popular elected Republican in the state and is the party’s top elected official.

Ayotte will be named a co-chair of Romney’s national advisory committee and will be a surrogate for Romney not only in New Hampshire but also in other key states.

“She is a leader of the New Hampshire Republican Party and a rising star on the national stage,” said a Romney aide, who noted she has even been mentioned as a potential vice presidential candidate. “She will be an important surrogate for Governor Romney’s pro-growth message in the Granite State and across the country.”

Ayotte joins former Gov. John H. Sununu, former U.S. Sen. Judd Gregg and a long list of state lawmakers in Romney’s corner.

Ayotte’s statement:

First, it is imperative that Republicans nominate our strongest candidate to face President Obama. Mitt Romney has proven not only through his prior experience as a successful businessman and governor, but also through his solid campaign and excellent debate performances, that he is that candidate. We cannot afford another four years of a president who continues to bankrupt America and whose policies hurt the very job creators who can get our economy growing again. We can no longer sit on the sidelines and continue to listen to divisive rhetoric which divides our nation. Mitt Romney will be a strong leader who will unite America. With his strong qualifications and executive leadership experience, he will put America on the path to fiscal responsibility to make sure that we don’t continue to crush our children with mountains of debt. Mitt Romney not only eliminated a $3 billion deficit as Massachusetts Governor, he also cut taxes 19 times. And unlike President Obama, Governor Romney has spent most of his career in the private sector and knows how to create good jobs.

Second, Mitt Romney is not only committed to building a stronger economy, but he also believes, as I do, in stronger American leadership abroad. He will remain vigilant in the fight against al Qaeda and Islamist terrorists, and his national security decisions will be based on advice from our military commanders – not political polls. With a rising China and persistent nuclear threats from rogue nations, we need Governor Romney’s strong, steady leadership to vigorously protect American interests. I trust Mitt Romney to keep our country safe in a dangerous world.

Third, I believe Governor Romney will run a campaign against President Obama that is serious, substantive, and one we can be proud of.

(emphasis added )

Romney endorsed Ayotte when she was running for the senatorial seat last fall. Her endorsement of him is significant.

After The Gov’s rally today at Nashua (2:30 pm ET) and a meeting with voters at Jackie’s Diner, he will host a townhall meeting at 5:30 pm in Peterborough.

UPDATE 11/20/11 – Twitpic from Carol Robidoux, attendee @Nashua rally “They’re here!” (photo taken at front steps of Nashua City Hall, click on image to enlarge):

Governor Romney’s statement:

“In her short time in the U.S. Senate, Senator Ayotte has emerged as a conservative leader in the fight to cut spending and create a government that is more accountable to the taxpayers,” said Mitt Romney. “Throughout her career as a public servant, Senator Ayotte has displayed the virtues that Granite Staters expect from their leaders. She is a tireless worker who understands that she serves the New Hampshire taxpayers – not the other way around – and keeps a watchful eye on how their money is spent. I am honored to have her support and look forward to working with her to put an end to Washington’s spending addiction so that our children and grandchildren will not be burdened by irresponsible policies and endless debt.”

Background On Senator Kelly Ayotte:

Kelly Ayotte Was Elected To The United States Senate In 2010 With 60% Of The Vote. She previously served as New Hampshire’s first female Attorney General from 2004-2010. In the Senate, Kelly serves on the Armed Services, Budget, Commerce, and Small Business Committees. She is the Ranking Member on the Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support.

For successfully leading efforts to secure New Hampshire’s first capital murder convictions in over 60 years, the Union Leader newspaper named Ayotte “Citizen of the Year” in 2008. She is married to Joe Daley, a Nashua native who flew combat missions during the Iraq war and currently serves as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air National Guard. She helped him launch a landscaping and snow removal company, which provides her with a firsthand understanding of how decisions made in Washington impact small businesses.

Kelly and Joe live in Nashua with their two children.

H/t Paulee, Union Leader article
► Jayde Wyatt

Over growing fears regarding Iran’s nuclear program as reported by the IAEA on Tuesday (Nov 8th), and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s ties to the plot to assassinate the ambassador of Saudi Arabia, Governor Mitt Romney has written an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal today.

Romney underscores President Obama’s “extraordinary record of failure” in dealing with Iran’s quest to obtain nuclear weapons:

I Won’t Let Iran Get Nukes
November 10, 2011
by Mitt Romney

Barack Obama is leading us toward a cascade of proliferation in the Middle East.

The International Atomic Energy Agency’s latest report this week makes clear what I and others have been warning about for too long: Iran is making rapid headway toward its goal of obtaining nuclear weapons.

Successive American presidents, including Barack Obama, have declared such an outcome to be unacceptable. But under the Obama administration, rhetoric and policy have been sharply at odds, and we’re hurtling toward a major crisis involving nuclear weapons in one of the most politically volatile and economically significant regions of the world.

Things did not have to be this way. To understand how best to proceed from here, we need to review the administration’s extraordinary record of failure.

As a candidate for the presidency in 2007, Barack Obama put forward “engagement” with Tehran as a way to solve the nuclear problem, declaring he would meet with Iran’s leaders “without preconditions.” Whether this approach was rooted in naïveté or in realistic expectations can be debated; I believe it was the former. But whatever calculation lay behind the proposed diplomatic opening, it was predictably rebuffed by the Iranian regime.

After that repudiation, a serious U.S. strategy to block Iran’s nuclear ambitions became an urgent necessity. But that is precisely what the administration never provided. Instead, we’ve been offered a case study in botched diplomacy and its potentially horrific costs.

In his “reset” of relations with Russia, President Obama caved in to Moscow’s demands by reneging on a missile-defense agreement with Eastern European allies and agreeing to a New Start Treaty to reduce strategic nuclear weapons while getting virtually nothing in return. If there ever was a possibility of gaining the Kremlin’s support for tougher action against Tehran, that unilateral giveaway was the moment. President Obama foreclosed it.

Another key juncture came with the emergence of Iran’s Green Revolution after the stolen election of 2009. Here—more than a year before the eruption of the Arab Spring—was a spontaneous popular revolt against a regime that has been destabilizing the region, supporting terrorism around the world, killing American soldiers in Iraq, and attacking the U.S. for three decades. Yet President Obama, evidently fearful of jeopardizing any further hope of engagement, proclaimed his intention not to “meddle” as the ayatollahs unleashed a wave of terror against their own society. A proper American policy might or might not have altered the outcome; we will never know. But thanks to this shameful abdication of moral authority, any hope of toppling a vicious regime was lost, perhaps for generations.

Iranian nuclear reactor buildings

In 2010, the administration did finally impose another round of sanctions, which President Obama hailed as a strike “at the heart” of Iran’s ability to fund its nuclear programs. But here again we can see a gulf between words and deeds. As the IAEA report makes plain, the heart that we supposedly struck is still pumping just fine. Sanctions clearly failed in their purpose. Iran is on the threshold of becoming a nuclear power.

Recent events have brought White House fecklessness to another low. When Iran was discovered plotting to kill Saudi Arabia’s ambassador by setting off a bomb in downtown Washington, the administration responded with nothing more than tough talk and an indictment against two low-level Iranian operatives, as if this were merely a common criminal offense rather than an act of international aggression. Demonstrating further irresolution, the administration then floated the idea of sanctioning Iran’s central bank, only to quietly withdraw that proposal.

Barack Obama has shredded his own credibility on Iran, conveyed an image of American weakness, and increased the prospect of a cascade of nuclear proliferation in the unstable Middle East.

The United States needs a very different policy.

(emphasis, image added) Continue reading here.

Adding fuel to the fire, Obama was caught dissing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week with French President Nicholas Sarkozy while at the G-20 Summit in Cannes, France.

Read more…

President Obama announced today that America will withdraw nearly all troops from Iraq by the end of the year, effectively bringing the war in Iraq to an end.

“After nearly 9 years, America’s war in Iraq will be over.” – Barack Obama

His announcement isn’t without controversy. It came after negotiations, that might have allowed a continued military security presence (which some reports say the Obama administration was dragging their heels on), broke down amid disputes as to whether U.S. troops would be immune to prosecution by Iraqi authorities.

Earlier in the process, U.S. military officials on the ground in Iraq recommended 15,000 troops were needed in Iraq beyond 2011 to help with the transition – aid in training and security. Obama decided 3,000 troops were sufficient. Last week, the AP reported a number of 1,000 troops would be the final number, spurring more concerns that Iraq would be at risk.

Of the 39,000 troops currently in Iraq, about 150 will remain to assist in arms sales. The remainder will be out of Iraq by December 31.

Mitt Romney issued the following statement on President Obama’s decision to withdraw troops from Iraq:

“President Obama’s astonishing failure to secure an orderly transition in Iraq has unnecessarily put at risk the victories that were won through the blood and sacrifice of thousands of American men and women. The unavoidable question is whether this decision is the result of a naked political calculation or simply sheer ineptitude in negotiations with the Iraqi government. The American people deserve to hear the recommendations that were made by our military commanders in Iraq.”

House Armed Services Chairman Buck McKeon, R-CA, released a statement shortly after the announcement, expressing concern that a full withdrawal was premature:

Multiple experts have testified before my committee that the Iraqis still lack important capacities in their ability to maintain their internal stability and territorial integrity,” he said. “These shortcomings could reverse the decade of hard work and sacrifice both countries have endured to build a free Iraq.”

U.S. soldiers in Iraq patrol newly dug ditch. Oct 16. 2011 (Photo/Getty Images)

Was Obama’s failure to secure legal immunity for U.S. soldiers a matter of political expediency? He’s had nearly three years to negotiate. Despite the President’s assurances that all will be well in Iraq, the outcome of this complete withdrawal of U.S. troops in such a hasty process remains to be seen.

I will close this post by issuing a deep, heart-felt thanks on behalf of MRC to all who have served in Iraq, to those who have been wounded, to their families, and especially to the loved ones of those who gave their lives in liberty’s cause. We pray for the safety of those still on Iraqi soil and for Iraqis earnestly seeking to strengthen a democratic system of governance.

May the sacrifice of United States and allied blood and treasure not be in vain.

► Jayde Wyatt

Today, Mitt Romney announced today his very impressive Foreign Policy and National Security Advisory Team:

Boston, MA — Mitt Romney announced today his Foreign Policy and National Security Advisory Team. This group draws on a wide array of experience to advise Governor Romney on foreign policy strategy, defense issues, intelligence matters, counterterrorism, and regional policy. These advisers will assist Governor Romney as he presents his vision for restoring American leadership in the world and securing our enduring interests and ideals abroad.

“America and our allies are facing a series of complex threats. To shape them before they explode into conflict, our foreign policy will have to be guided by a strategy of American strength,” Governor Romney said. “I am deeply honored to have the counsel of this extraordinary group of diplomats, experts, and statesmen. Their remarkable experience, wisdom, and depth of knowledge will be critical to ensuring that the 21st century is another American Century.”

(emphasis added)

Special Advisers and Co-Chairs of regional and functional working groups are listed below. Titles and affiliations are for identification purposes only.

SPECIAL ADVISERS

• Cofer Black
• Christopher Burnham
• Michael Chertoff
• Eliot Cohen
• Norm Coleman
• John Danilovich
• Paula Dobriansky
• Eric Edelman
• Michael Hayden
• Kerry Healey
• Kim Holmes
• Robert Joseph
• Robert Kagan
• John Lehman
• Walid Phares
• Pierre Prosper
• Mitchell Reiss
• Daniel Senor
• Jim Talent
• Vin Weber
• Richard Williamson
• Dov Zakheim

Read more…

Anwar al-Awlaki, one of the world's most wanted terrorists, was killed today by a hell-fire missile from a U.S. drone in Yemen. 9/30/11

Mitt Romney issued the following statement today on the killing of Anwar al-Awlaki:

“The killing of Anwar al-Awlaki is a major victory in our fight against Islamist terrorism and proper justice for the numerous attacks and plots he inspired or planned against America. I commend the President, the members of the intelligence community, our service members, and our allies for their continued efforts to keep Americans safe. Nevertheless, we must remain vigilant and continue the fight against those who seek to destroy us and our freedoms.”

► Jayde Wyatt