In remarks heavily focused on the economy, foreign policy, and American exceptionalism Friday, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney squarely challenged the competence and the authenticity of the man he’d like to replace in the White House.

The speech to the CPAC conservative conference -- the same group to whom he conceded the presidential primary race three years ago -- was primarily an assault on what he described as President Barack Obama’s fickle and hesitant strategy for solving the nation’s economic problems.

Romney received a mostly polite – but also sometimes enthusiastic – response from the thousands of conservative activists in the audience. The biggest sustained applause he received was when he delivered this criticism of the president: “It’s going to take more than new rhetoric to put Americans back to work. It’s going to take a new president.”

The former Bain & Company CEO, whose business credentials have served as the linchpin of his case for the presidency, blamed the Obama presidency for the nation’s nine percent unemployment rate.

“President Barack Obama has stood watch over the greatest job loss in modern American history. And that, my friends, is one inconvenient truth that will haunt this president throughout history,” he said.

But polls have consistently said that the public largely blames the previous Republican administration more than the current White House for the state of the economy.

Also in his speech, Romney accused Obama of fashioning a new pro-business facade without an actual understanding of how business works, even implying that the president plagiarized his pro-growth rhetoric from Romney’s CPAC speech last year.

“The president is trying to show that he finally gets it—that he really isn’t a liberal after all. But his idea of conservative economic policy is to invite some corporate CEO’s to the White House for an evening of table-talk,” he said. “I’m sorry, Mr. President, but that’s not a policy, it’s a dinner party.”

“If I decide to run for president,” he added, pausing for a boisterous moment of encouragement from the crowd, “it won’t take me two years to wake up to the job crisis threatening America. And I won’t be asking Tim Geithner how the economy works—or Larry Summers how to start a business.”

And he tied free market ideals and capitalism to the notion of American exceptionalism – an ideal that Republicans often declare to be uncomfortable and unfamiliar to the current commander-in-chief.

"We believe in freedom, in opportunity. We believe in free enterprise and capitalism. We believe in the American dream. And we believe that the principles that made America the leader of the world today are the very principles that will keep America the leader of the world tomorrow.”

Early in his remarks, Romney also took shots at the White House’s diplomatic dealings and foreign policy strategy, although he avoided specific references to the uncertainty rocking Egypt. He slammed Obama as unsteady and incoherent in his handling of the New START nuclear arms treaty with Russia, the conflict between North and South Korea, and the uprising in Iran.

"An uncertain world has been made more dangerous by the lack of clear direction from a weak president," he said, later adding that he hopes the president will someday "finally be able to construct a foreign policy, any foreign policy."

The one thing missing from Romney's speech: any mention of the "ObamaCare" health-reform law particularly despised by this CPAC audience. Romney, so far, has struggled to make a solid argument against the president's health care law, which has many similarities to the law Romney championed during his tenure as governor of Massachusetts.


http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/02/11/6033510-romney-its-going-to-take-a-new-president

How soon they forget, and would like the American People to do so!



Of course!
I'd say this will doom him with conservatives.

I am not worried about the presidential race.

I will concentrate on the House and Senate...

President Obama is doing an adequate job.

so correcting first the House and Senate is the priority...in 2012.

Once we do that

it won't matter if the President is a ideologist...

The proper safeguards will be strong again.

So you think the Republicans are a safeguard?

Are you a corporation?
The only interests the Republicans are safeguarding are the corporations and the insurance companies'. The interests of the corporations are cheap labor with less environmental protections and their greed. They don't care about the American employees who built their corporation strong, and they aren't concerned with your children's health and welfare.

The Republicans will safeguard this country into further bankruptcy and a civil war.
Wasn't 8 years of irresponsible government and 2 years of voting no to recovery enough?

Romney doesn't have a chance against President Obama. I don't know how he can criticize him on foreign policy...Romney has none. I have yet to hear any legitimate argument with specifics about foreign policy. If anything, the Republicans seem to be wanting to continue to support the dictator Mubarak.

The blatant lies and unaccountability is what kills me the most.

example,
“President Barrack Obama has stood watch over the greatest job loss in modern American history. And that, my friends, is one inconvenient truth that will haunt this president throughout history,” he said.

The job loss came way before Obama took office. If anything he stopped the loss. If not reversed it.
And he did it without Republican cooperation. The party of No were more concerned with attempting to make Obama look bad than in helping him turn the economy around or create jobs for Americans.
They were and are more concerned with helping their rich friends and safeguarding corporate interests.

Do they think the American people have forgotten when and under who's watch the jobs were lost?


Do they think we will forget the denial when the signs of economic doom were showing? When if instead of denial something might have been done to ease it?
When from the Republican Candidates side we heard,



Do they think the American people are that stupid?

the "shellacking" isn't over yet.....

By shellacking I take it you mean lying.

i dont care who they are, they all lie! George W Bush admitted it right after 9/11

So the defense for the Republican's clearly blatant lies is association?

its not a matter of what party theyre from, im just saying they all lie. may the best liar win

democrats will steal your car, republicans will steal your bank account

Can I request an example of Obama blatantly telling a lie?

Why would you assume 'republican' from anything I have said...

I said that it was necessary to deal with the representatives and senators before the presidency.

Not a single mention of republican.

I figure there are theives and scoundrels in both parties...

I don't care if its democrats or republicans...

Time to clean them out.

Obama to OReilly...

"I have not raised taxes once..."

Obamacare...

6 new taxes.

too many to mention! Lol! dude get over it! The entire country will be painted red in 2012 and the 2010 and 2012 elections will stand as the largest swing in political history of 200 plus years! This country will be Strongly republican and conservative for the next 40 years! People see thru the democrat lies and want conservatism....2012 clearly showed that! Parse words all you want but the largest victory in 70 years! You can say it has nothing to do with failed democrat policy but as long as you think so conservatives will continue to slaughter the left till they learn people want personal responsabilty not hand outs!

Only if the republicans actually pay attention to the true 'tea parties'...

soon as they are perceived as continuing 'business as usual' then they will be 'flipped' hat in had right back out the door.

Change came to America and everyone seems to have missed the truth of it...

Cause they were all looking for 'change' in the form of free stuff...

and the Tea Parties came rocketing out of the smoke looking for 'change' back to real values, common sense governance, spending within our means and PROPER representation.

Small government.

Responsible citizens...

People back in charge.

Obama is the one that coined the phrae "shellacking"...from your comment as to what it meant it looks like maybe ur "still in denial" Obama courting republicans proves at least Obama's denial phase is starting to end...

The Tea Party is Republican!

Meh, Obama didn't do anything to correct any of that. If anything, his regime is even more corrupt than the last one.