Romney backs Bush war policies

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By The Associated Press | Thursday, December 21, 2006 1:11 AM CST | () comments

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a potential Republican presidential candidate, said Wednesday he supports the way President Bush has carried out the war in Iraq, but he declined to discuss specifics about whether more troops should be sent.

Romney told reporters in Iowa that Bush should talk with generals and others on the front lines in Iraq to decide how to proceed.

“We should not turn around and walk out of Iraq,” he said. “That would be a mistake.”

When asked if he supported a surge in troops, one of the options Bush is said to be considering, Romney declined to discuss such details.

“I won’t get into specifics about whether it should be 18,000, 20,000 or 15,000,” he said. “That’s for the generals and those on the front line to decide.”

Romney, elected Massachusetts governor in 2002, leaves office at the end of this year. He said he won’t announce whether he’ll be a presidential candidate until next month. Since 2004, he had made 11 trips to Iowa, where precinct caucuses launch the presidential nominating process.

Romney was scheduled to speak at several events Wednesday, including a fundraiser for Dallas County sheriff candidate Chad Leonard, a reception for a state senator and a Christmas Party for supporters of his political action committee.

Speaking at the fundraiser for the sheriff candidate, Romney avoided many of the controversial issues that have arisen in his campaign in recent weeks — abortion, gay marriage and the Iraq war.

Instead, he delivered brief but upbeat remarks about how people in Asia like Americans, something he said he discovered on a recent trip to Japan and South Korea.

“It’s interesting to see how positive people respond to Americans in Asia,” he said.