When the announcement of a new McCain ad trilled through the Blackberrys of Romney’s press corps, we were confused. Unable to actually see the thing, we had to rely on the script to see what the big deal was. It was not helpful:
ANNCR: “Mitt Romney says the next president doesn’t need foreign policy experience.
“John McCain for president.”
JOHN MCCAIN: “I’m John McCain and I approve this message.”
Huh?
The actual ad dispels all confusion… and incites total panic.
As negative ads go, it’s pretty brilliant. There’s nothing to correct, nothing to respond to, just, you know, the Governor’s own words.
At a press conference this morning, I asked the Governor if — given that he’s been critical of the “post-Saddam” phase in Iraq — why was it that after his own visit to the country in 2006, he gave a rather positive review to the progress there.
You could look at what I said at that time. I was encouraged at that time that there was a creation of a coalition government and believed that was a positive step and I continue to believe that that was a
positive step. Let me make it very clear. Not everything that happened over the period of time following Saddam Hussein’s collapse was bad. The establishment of a constitution, the election of a coalition and
the creation of a coalition government. Those were positive developments but nonetheless I felt in some respects the management of the post-Saddam Hussein conflict there was not as well managed as
we would have hoped it would have been and I think that was in part because we frankly did not have sufficient preparation and planning for what occurred.Q: If you felt at that time, why didn’t you say something then?
I don’t recall all the things that I said at that at time, so I’d just have to go back and look at my notes.
