NEW: Romney calls for end to "liberal Washington"
ST. PAUL, Minnesota (CNN) -- Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney blasted "liberal Washington" tonight, saying John McCain is a "prescription for every American who wants change in Washington."
Mitt Romney says the nation needs a change from "liberal Washington."
Mitt Romney says the nation needs a change from "liberal Washington."
He also said it's time to take a "weed-whacker" to excessive regulation and to impose lower taxes and to stop big-government spending.
"Throw out the big government liberals and elect John McCain," Romney told the Republican National Convention.
"We need change all right -- change from a liberal Washington to a conservative Washington."
He threw his support behind vice presidential pick Sarah Palin, saying the McCain-Palin ticket "will keep America as it has always been -- the hope of the world."
Palin is scheduled to speak in the 10 p.m. ET hour at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
In her speech, Palin, the governor of Alaska, directs a sharp jibe at Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama, according to excerpts released by the campaign.
Contrasting her résumé with that of the Democratic presidential nominee, she says, "I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a 'community organizer,' except that you have actual responsibilities."
She also contrasts McCain with Obama.
"In politics, there are some candidates who use change to promote their careers. And then there are those, like John McCain, who use their careers to promote change," she will say.
Earlier Wednesday, Palin took a tour of the podium at the convention site. She walked through the nearly empty hall and spent about 10 minutes checking out the podium, saying she feels "great."
"I'm excited to speak to Americans. This will be good. It's about reform," she said. Video Watch Palin tour the podium »
Palin's address is sure to generate a lot of attention, because McCain surprised many political observers last week with his selection of Palin over better-known contenders such as former Romney and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty.
Revelations that Palin's unmarried 17-year-old daughter, Bristol, is pregnant also generated buzz as the GOP convention got under way this week.
Two other former GOP presidential hopefuls, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, are to address the convention in prime time Wednesday.
Giuliani will tout Palin as "one of the most successful governors in America" who has worked to cut taxes and government spending.
"She already has more executive experience than the entire Democratic ticket. She's led a city and a state," Giuliani says in excerpts released ahead of his speech.
"Gov. Palin represents a new generation. She's already one of the most successful governors in America -- and the most popular."
Giuliani, who scrapped his presidential bid in January, says the McCain-Palin ticket is what the nation needs to succeed.
"This is a time for choosing, and to those Americans who still feel torn in this election, I'd like to suggest one way to think about the choice you have to make in 2008: You're hiring someone to do a job, an important job that involves the safety and security of your family," he will say.
Huckabee, according to prepared remarks, will expand on the convention's theme, "Country First," and will discuss McCain's "love of America, vision for the future and long record of service and sacrifice on our behalf."
"John McCain doesn't want the kind of change that allows the government to reach deeper into your paycheck and pick your doctor, your child's school or even the kind of car you drive or how much you inflate the tires," he will say.
On Tuesday night, Republican leaders strongly defended Palin, who has won praise from influential conservatives for her opposition to abortion and her pro-business record.
Actor and former Sen. Fred Thompson led the charge, berating "Washington pundits and media big shots" who have questioned her experience as a first-term governor and former mayor of Wasilla, Alaska.
"Let's be clear. ... The selection of Gov. Palin has the other side and their friends in the media in a state of panic. She is a courageous, successful reformer who is not afraid to take on the establishment."
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Sen. Joe Lieberman, the 2000 Democratic vice presidential nominee and now a Connecticut independent, also called Palin "a reformer."
"She's taken on the special interests and the political power brokers in Alaska and reached across party lines to get things done," Lieberman said. |
