Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Tuesday intensified his criticism of Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for defying the White House by visiting Syria last week.
“The speaker of the House helped dignify a state sponsor of terror,” Romney said in prepared remarks at the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library in College Station, Texas. “At this time of war, her action stands as one of the most partisan, divisive and ill-considered of any national leader in this decade.”
The Democratic National Committee issued a statement slamming what it called Romney’s “shameless attempt to hide his complete lack of national security credentials.”
“Mitt Romney seems to think dressing the part and saying what he thinks people want to hear is enough to win the Republican nomination,” said Democratic National Committee spokesman Damien LaVera. “But slick PowerPoint presentations and smooth talk are no substitute for real plans for keeping America safe.”
Last week, Romney was one of a relatively small number of Republican politicians to lambaste Pelosi for traveling to Damascus and meeting with Syrian President Bashar Assad. He said Pelosi had made a “huge mistake” by ignoring White House requests to cancel the visit to Syria, which the administration calls a state sponsor of terrorism.
In remarks prepared for Tuesday’s speech in Texas, Romney also ripped Democrats in Congress for delaying funds to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. He also praised President Bush.
“We are fortunate today to have a president who loves America, who acts solely out of a desire to protect her and to promote liberty around the world,” he said.
