Mitt Romney: The One-on-One

My entire one-on-one interview with Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney can be viewed now HERE.

His Mormon Faith
As previously mentioned, I began by talking to Romney about his Mormon faith. He told me he's confident voters aren't going to choose their President based on what church he or she goes to. What surprised me is that Romney didn't say (or declined to reveal) a favorite passage in the Book of Mormon. "I don't know I have a favorite passage," Romney said. Maybe it's because Republican candidates are almost required to have a favorite Bible reading or passage.

"I Like Debate"
On the question of how he differs from President Bush, Romney is careful. He credits Bush for "keeping the country safe," and the No Child Left Behind education law. "There are some places as well that I'm sure if he had a do over, he'd take it. Certainly after the collapse of Saddam Hussein in Iraq, we really weren't sufficiently prepared," Romney said. He also said he has a different managerial approach than Bush. "We grew up different. My life was in the private sector," Romney said. But he does make clear he invites a good hearty look at all sides of an issue, something President Bush has been criticized for not encouraging during major policy discussions. "I like in a dialogue, debate. I like having people of different views come and argue their position," Romney said. "I'm much more comfortable hearing opposition points of view than just having everyone in the room that all thinks the same thing."

A Dem He Could Work With? Mark Warner.
This took a little prodding, but I thought it was important to see if Romney could name someone on the Democratic side of the aisle who he respects on foreign policy/national security issues. Romney never directly gave me a foreign policy answer. But he finally named former Virginia Governor Mark Warner, for his work on Medicaid reform. "Democrats love America too," Romney said.

The Abortion Switch
Romney cites Ronald Reagan and George Herbert Walker Bush as other Republicans who changed their position on abortion. Romney used to be "pro-choice," he's now "pro-life." Missouri State University Political Science Professor George Connor said Romney's comparison to Reagan isn't accurate. "Reagan wasn't sure about abortion. He wasn't adamantly in favor and became adamantly opposed. When Governor Romney says I'm just doing what Ronald Reagan did, he's really not, if you believe the people who know Reagan well," Connor said.