Romney Wants Conservative Judges

Unionleader.com, July 26, 2007

By Stephen Beale

BEDFORD – The U.S. Supreme Court would see more conservative justices under a Mitt Romney administration, the former Massachusetts governor told an audience at the McKelvie Middle School last night.

"I will tell you that this is a watershed point for the Supreme Court," Romney said. "And I will appoint justices like Roberts and Alito and Scalia . . . and Thomas."

Romney said he would appoint justices who would abide by the Constitution and refrain from legislating from the judicial bench. He praised the recent high court ruling giving states the power to ban partial birth abortion and hopes for similar rulings in the future.

"If we have another appointment to the Supreme Court, we hopefully will have justices which open the way in my view to allowing states to have more input on this, rather than a Roe v. Wade, everybody to have the same standard abortion," Romney said.

Describing himself as pro-life, Romney said he would use the bully pulpit of the presidency to promote pro-life policies and laws.

During an hour-long "Ask Mitt Anything" meeting, Romney blasted Hillary Clinton on her socialized approach to health care and fielded pointed questions on issues like global warming, medicinal marijuana, and Iraq.

He called for a greenhouse gas reduction -- one that is truly global in scope.

"They don't call it America warming, they call it global warming," Romney said.

The Republican candidate opposed medical marijuana because it is a gateway drug. People in pain, he said, can instead use synthetic alternatives. He called for a new drug prevention program, similar to the "Just Say No" campaign.

At one point, a Merrimack man asked why U.S. armed forces were still in Iraq.

Conceding the war was under planned and managed, Romney said -- as the man stormed out -- that he believes the troop surge has a reasonable probability of bringing stability to the current Iraq government.

At the end of the meeting, several voters said they liked what Romney had said, but wished he had gone into specifics.

Diane Nine of Bedford had asked him to talk about foreign policy.

Romney told her his foreign policy would be based on a strong economy and military. As President, he said he would also work with other countries to help them reject Islamic extremism. "I was happy that he had some ideas on it," Nine said, but, "He wasn't touching deep enough for me."

"He talked about the ideas, but not the how," agreed Amy Ouellette, a college-bound Westford, Mass., native.

Raquel Eames, who moved to Manchester from Central America, said she was pleased Romney had come out against amnesty for illegal immigration, saying everyone had to take the same, legal path to citizenship.

"I think it's easier to be illegally (rather) than legally here," she said.