This week, Mitt Romney added a new anecdote to his stump speech. It's proving to be a controversial decision.
Just yesterday, at events in Ohio and Iowa, the Republican said he remembered meeting a former Navy SEAL a while back, whom he recently learned was one of the four Americans killed in Benghazi, Libya.
The slain American's mother does not seem pleased. Barbara Doherty, whose son Glen was killed in last month's attack, told the NBC affiliate in Boston:
"I don't trust Romney. He shouldn't make my son's death part of his political agenda. It's wrong to use these brave young men, who wanted freedom for all, to degrade Obama."
The station sought a response from the Romney campaign, but did not receive one.
Romney has already faced criticism for exploiting the deaths in Benghazi for partisan gain last month, and Doherty's criticism certainly won't help the larger political dynamic.
Update: Producers for MSNBC's Martin Bashir spoke with Glen Doherty's sister, who confirmed that Romney and Doherty had met at a party "two or three years ago" and that the campaign had reached out to his family through an intermediary. The family also knew there was a possibility Romney would be telling the story on the campaign trail.
Second Update: As of this afternoon, the Romney campaign has said the candidate will stop repeating the anecdote, respecting the mother's wishes.
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Mitt Romney and his campaign, seemingly, have no sense of boundaries in regard to decent rhetorical argument. If given the power of the presidency, Mitt Romney will surely get us into one fine mess after another as he doesn't know how to modulate his patrician luxury when engaged in real life struggles! -Kevo
Romney would,hey! "Business is Business." i've got to get 51%.
When you are running to be a car salesman,you ought to say whatever sounds good to your potential hirer.
Mitt Romney Is Leading Us Into An Age Of Idiocy And Belittlement.
How very sad that this grieving mother has to deal with this as well, my heart aches for her.
And because she's speaking out against this, Robme won't talk about it again - til the next one.
Yes coffee, Romney telling his story about the woman's son for political reason's is just plain sick.He did'nt even mention our troop's in his convention speech.Now he think's we're sucker enough to think he care's about them.The only people he care's about are the Romney's ,and the 1%.Our military would be just a tool for him to protect his and his friend's foreign bank account's.
Wasn't it funny how Robme never mentioned the SEAL's name? Probably didn't know it, but would use the instance (lie) to gain credibility for his "real personess" LOL
I wonder how the SS people protecting him and Ann feel about his abuse of power, about now. He may want to consider those armed soldiers who have his back. What do they think/feel about his using their brothers and sisters-in-arms for political gain? Too bad he does not have enough vision to see what others see from the ground.
I find these foreign affairs and troops being props to be so disgusting.
Foreign affairs are a tricky business, we want to know where the candidate stands on foreign affairs, but we do not want the acts of terrorists to be "brownie points".
I get that we must try to frame an argument as being in a position of strength and at times the whole story may not be told. I've always known the U.S. government does not tell us the whole story.
I feel for all those military members and State Department members being in the middle of a powder keg.
My condolences to those family members involved and have lost loved ones.
Hold on. This can't be right.
A military family who is not pro -Romney?
I was told they don't exist.
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I was told I'm not a Vet because I didn't support Shrub lying us into war.
And remember Cindy Sheehan?
Didn't the Hate Machine do a number on her?
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I don’t think Wall Street likes the idea of Romney potentially winning ever since the polls shifted. The market is really sucking and down right now.
global recession (particularly the slowdown in China) and debt crisis in europe are the cause of the market downturn, not the presidential race.
@Deb, WHAT market is sucking and down??
The DOW has been going down the last 3 or 4 work days a long with the NASDAQ and NYSE exchanges.
This is the time when Obama should hit Romney on his Vietnam war protests for the war and then promptly deserted the country to become a missionary in France.
Romney has no moral compass, he lacks integrity, character and honor. To use people's death for Political Gain just demonstrates his inability to connect - no empathy. Wake up people - this is not a leader.
Gingrich said it on 1/3/12 on CBS Morning Show; said of Mitt Romney, Someone who will lie to you to get to be president will lie to you when they are president.' CBS News chief White House correspondent Norah O'Donnell asked Gingrich, are you calling Mitt Romney a liar?" "Yes," Gingrich replied.
I believe Steve Benen has documented approximately 500 lies of Romney as of last Friday. I repeat Romney is a person who lacks integrity, character and honor.
"I'm Mitt Romney and I approve of saying anything and using anyone - including the deceased and their greiving families - to get myself elected."
"Ahhh yes...I remember meeting that young man....We spoke briefly, and I advised him on strategies for saving his soul from eternal damnation. I even gave him a pamplet on the subject."
On behalf of a grateful nation, I'm so sorry for your loss. My thoughts and many others are with you and all of the families whose loved ones have given it all, for all of us. First and foremost we should continually pay tribute to the four American lives lost by remembering their service, diligently learning from the situation to carry on their mission and not politicizing this tragedy. It is a very difficult investigation and hunt, so let’s respect the professionals by giving them the time and space to succeed, so we can know who did what, deliver justice and adjust our future missions accordingly.
What a cad...
No doubt Romney met the dead man retroactively.
And baptized him posthumously.
Reminds me also of the Big Bird Obama ad and Sesame Street requesting they pull it. Politicizing something that simply does not consent to being politicized (though Sesame Street didn't ask for it-- Romney brought it up and netted the entire network into the fray).
Wading through-- hoping for Romney's next "big bad thing" before too long. I loved the EJ quote from last night about liberals wanting to kill themselves over bad polls. I've just despaired the past week, so I think his friend has something there.
Where is the conscience, Mr. Romney? Have you no shame? Here is a man who dedicated his life -- and ultimately gave it -- to protect this country and to protect Americans, and a conniving and desperate politician smears his legacy by using his name in vain for a presidential campaign. Mitt Romney won't listen to this mother...she's just a whining victim, a member of the "47 percent" that is nothing but "takers" and moochers. If Mitt wants to run his campaign on a chance meeting with a hero because that's all he can run on, he'll do it, by golly... - progressive
Ron Reagan made a point yesterday that I wish more people would pick up on. It's one that I've brought up several times, and it's an issue that the "undecideds" should consider when voting for president: that a Romney victory would not portend well for future presidential campaigns.
If Romney gets away with consistent lying and flip-flopping, telling each audience what it wants to hear, our future campaigns will be "fact-free zones."
The Obama campaign needs to find a way to get this idea into the mainstream.
You're expecting future presidential campaigns after a Republican victory this year? That's like being a German Social Democrat saying after the January 1933 elections, "just wait til the next one!"
Well, maybe there will be, if you're a white male evangelical property owner.
He has to be told that this was inappropriate?
And the family says his campaign contacted them , we know the mothers opinion now , yet her thoughts on the subject were some how not communicated to his campaign? The fact that she had to go public at all after the fact does not reflect well on romney the professional poseur
Those who have not served has a way of waving their arms for God and Country, Isn't one of Romney's children of military age? He was out campaigning for his father while young soldiers about his age are dying in Afganistan, tomorrow he will want to run for POTUS while presently hiding under his mother skirt and his father's money. THIS IS THE SON OF THE MAN YOU WANT TO VOTE FOR, THEY HIDE THEIR CHILDREN AT HOME WHILE SENDING OTHER PEOPLE'S CHILDREN TO DIE FOR THEIR RICH ASSES.
Hope this Seal's family doesn't go through the horror that the family in Denver went through. The small mom & pop restaurant refused to be a campaign stop for Romney (or any candidate) and ended up with death threats, lost business, etc. They were obviously chosen as a token Mormon Hispanic small business, and not for any other reason. This man is a chameleon, trying to blend in anywhere, and will use anyone or tell any story to get elected.
HE will say whatever is required to obtain victory; just as he said whatever was required to make a deal regardless of ethics or values OR TRUTH.
HE LIED about where he lived before becoming MA governor- Headlines said he was living in his son's bsmt. Doesn't say much about his son either- Dad lies and faamily swears to it.
HE and Ryan are set in a continual ring of lies that are not contested in such a way as to reveal the TRUTH.
Romney is a keystroke of Karl Rove and has no mind of his own.
Romney is giving to much credit for everything he does and has done- being too damn politically correct to secure the truth.
Ryan is nothing more than a product of living off the govt. teet and has no concern for anyone but himself- a TRUE Ayn Rand follower to the letter.
And regarding the debate- debates are theorectically for the inteeligent and based in facts- it is IMPOSSIBLE to debate a LIAR.
Yes, they can scare their way to victory. it started with the Bush-Cheney dictatorship and has been expounded upon ever since. The main purpose is obviously control and the ability to excercise power over "We the people" and to take away our civil rights. As I see the America, it is no longer an exceptional country, it is a country on its back in a closet hiding from the boogey man. No man or army can keep 311 M ppl safe from outside threats, therefore being safe is an illusion. We cannot even prevent domestic threats. This claim by the R&R ticket is freedom- freedom for the upper class to control and descimate the middle and lower classes. The return of the ROBBER BARONS; my hope is that the ppl of America decide they have had enough and emulate the Bolshevik Revolution with the same outcome.
There's more:
Romney's emotional story remembered very differently by friend of fallen SEAL
First, a friend of Doherty’s, Elf Ellefsen, said that Doherty’s recollection of his meeting with Romney was considerably different than Romney recalled.
From a local news interview with Ellefsen …
Rollo
Either Romney just doesn't care or it's the onset of Alzheimer's
A good friend once told me that to measure the strength of a person is to see how far he will go to protect the one's that he loves. You can see this very thing in the eyes of a soldier. When you look deep into someone's eyes you can see this. How much is love worth? How far will you go carrying your comrad's body at the risk of losing your own? And how many soldiers are faced with that very question every single day?
glad to see you post about this
Am I the only person who believes using the Bones of the Dead to encourage the ending of violence to be OK,
But using the Bones of the Dead to justify more Dead perverse and sickening?
Memorial Day had been set aside to honor our dead with no politic to be practiced that day .... Until Bush.
Then Shrub and his Administration started stumping for war on Memorial Day.
As disgusting as that was 'Love Letters in the sand' Romney .... turns my guts.
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