Romney assails Obama, Clinton policies

PARK CITY, Utah -- Mitt Romney delivered a policy address at a private donor retreat in Utah on Friday, condemning President Barack Obama's foreign policy as "a monumental bust" and assailing Hillary Rodham Clinton's record as secretary of state.

Romney, the Republican Party's 2012 presidential nominee, laid out an agenda on foreign affairs and domestic issues such as education and immigration that he said would restore America's standing around the world. He spoke at a private "ideas summit" he is hosting in Park City this weekend with heavyweight donors and policy advisers.

Romney cited the rise of jihadism, the Taliban's resilience in Afghanistan and the current turmoil in Iraq as evidence that Obama's foreign policy is failing. He accused Obama of offering to meet with the leaders of Cuba, North Korea and Iran and bypassing Israel during his first trip abroad as president.

"The world saw all this for what it was -- a foreign policy of withdrawal from leadership, and accommodation," Romney said. He added, "The Obama-[Vice President Joe] Biden-Hillary Clinton foreign policy is a monumental bust."

Romney delivered particularly biting critiques of Clinton, who is expected to seek the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016. He repeatedly cited her by name, at one point saying she "actually presented Russia's foreign minister with a large, plastic button labeled 'reset.'"

Romney referred to Clinton's comments during her book tour this week. "Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday that some world leaders 'may not be happy' when they read her new book. 'I'm looking at you, Vladimir,' she said. Please, this is from a woman who was gushing with smiles when she presented a minion of Vladimir Putin with that red 'reset' button," he said.

Romney has insisted he is not interested in running for president again in 2016, but he made clear at the Utah event that he wants to lead, wants his ideas on the state of affairs to be heard, and wants to play a role in shaping the political debate heading into the 2016 campaign.

"I lost the election, we lost the election, but I, and we, will continue to fight," Romney said, receiving applause from about 300 business leaders, donors and other supporters.

Several potential Republican presidential candidates were there, including Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, who was Romney's vice presidential running mate in 2012.

Paul spoke to donors early Friday morning in a speech that was closed to the media. Attendees said Paul spoke about immigration, voter ID laws, education, criminal justice and economic opportunity.

Romney said the United States must maintain its "military lead," reversing defense budget cuts that he characterized as devastating and providing "honorable care" for its veterans. "I am sick of the military-cut crowd," Romney said.

Romney also said the country needs to strengthen its "core" domestically. "Fix education, fix immigration, fix entitlements and deficits, fix the marriage penalty, fix our energy policy and act boldly to ignite economic growth," Romney said. "I am sad to say that there has been no progress whatsoever on any one of these fronts over the last five years."

Romney, whom the Obama campaign attacked as being an out-of-touch plutocrat too cozy with Wall Street, defended the leaders of high finance in his speech. During the campaign, Romney said, he got to know John Whitehead, a former chief executive of the "highly denigrated Goldman Sachs."

"Some people in our country would accuse a person like that, because of his wealth and power, they see him only as a man of Wall Street," Romney said. "But that man, John Whitehead, was also a soldier and he was one of the men who stormed the beaches of Normandy 70 years ago. Poor or rich, we are Americans."

A Section on 06/14/2014

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