Romney On MLK Recollections: Look Up "Saw" In The Dictionary
Mitt Romney has been forced to get into some serious verbal gymnastics over his previous declaration about seeing his father, the late Michigan Gov. George Romney, marching with Martin Luther King. A close examination of the historical records shows that the elder Romney, while he was a strong support of civil rights, never actually appeared with King.
"I've tried to be as accurate as I can be," Romney told reporters. "If you look at the literature or look at the dictionary, the term 'saw' includes being aware of — in the sense I've described."
"I'm an English literature major," he added, after the questions didn't stop. "When we say I saw the Patriots win the World Series, it doesn't necessarily mean you were there." (Yes, he did speak off the cuff about the idea of a football team winning the World Series.)
Comments (32)
CranialRectalLoopback wrote on December 20, 2007 11:24 PM:Wow.
When will he, and for that matter, all the Repubic candidates, be labelled serial liars like Al Gore was labelled?
God I hate the "liberal" media.
Terradea wrote on December 20, 2007 11:26 PM:Uhm, if you look up the word "liar" in the dictionary, it includes saying something that isn't true.
Brian Moore wrote on December 20, 2007 11:32 PM:Being embarrassed for someone else is always more painful then when I'm embarrassed for myself. Kill'n me...
l. gander wrote on December 20, 2007 11:39 PM:ROMNEY is TOAST over this.
His campaign is OVER.
I TOLD everyone that he was JUST LIKE HILLARY and now he PROVED IT.
GOODBYE ROMNEY and GOOD RIDDANCE!
WWNPHD wrote on December 21, 2007 12:39 AM:Huckabee has rattled this guy to his core. Patriots in the World Series? Parsing the definition of "saw" with the critical eye of an english lit major? Now someday I can tell my kids I saw Mitt Romney's legendary collapse to a diet book author. You saw it, they'll say. No, morons, I was aware of it - look at the literature.
Richard wrote on December 21, 2007 12:52 AM:Give Romney a break. He's a man who gives his all for country. Even his sons are serving with honor...in Iowa.
Mark wrote on December 21, 2007 2:55 AM:This was a huge mistake.. i was actually leaning towards him. how in the world did he make this mistake? he easily could have said something like 'i saw my dad at MLK events and thats how i remember it' (cuz it seems his dad did attend MLK sponsored events, just MLK may not have been there). Isn't it common sense not to refer to dictionary definitions.. this makes the republican race so much difficult. rudy may just come back.
Winston Smith wrote on December 21, 2007 6:39 AM:Look up "asshole" in the dictionary.
Kefa wrote on December 21, 2007 6:40 AM:Just a bald face liar, and not a good one either.
Abe wrote on December 21, 2007 7:08 AM:Oh, that is classic!
Damn, it's a shame Romney's not more famous. If more people knew who he was, this could go down in history as the stupidest set of gaffe attacks ever.
BJ wrote on December 21, 2007 7:17 AM:So if Mitt becomes president, every American will need to watch his speeches with a dictionary in hand. To catch all the possible meanings of what he's saying.
snl wrote on December 21, 2007 8:30 AM:"I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked, dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix, angelheaded hipsters burning for the ancient heavenly connection to the starry dynamo in the machinery of night, . . ." -- you should know the rest.
swaidely wrote on December 21, 2007 8:31 AM:and if you read the Meet the Press transcripts, you'll see he told the landscaper he didn't want "illegals" working at HIS HOUSE, (as opposed to not using a landscaper who hires "illegals" at all.)
Clearly this shows he is concerned about the POLITICAL FALLOUT of having "illegal" immigrants at "his house", and NOT any real CONCERN over "illegal" immigration in general.
Madorsky wrote on December 21, 2007 8:46 AM:The rise of Obama and Huckabee indicates that voters are getting sick of pathological liars like Romney.
sabatia wrote on December 21, 2007 9:02 AM:I understand that Mitt's "misstatements" may all be a result of a medical operation Governor Romney had about a year and half ago. To get rid of the gnawing inside, he went into Mayo Clinc for a ethilotomy. That's the procedure, very popular with a certain type of businessman, where they make a micro incision into the brain and vacuum out the little organ where the conscience and courage reside. But in this unusual case, the surgeons couldn't find the damn thing. Just nothing at all there. I've heard through the medical grapevine that they didn't want to lose their fees--their businesspeople after all--so they just sucked something else out. Some suspect it was his heart.
Another theory is that when the whole family was going through their annual "Stepford" renewal treatment at a secret clinic in the Arizona desert, the medical technicians removed the last vestige of Mitt's soul by mistake. Mitt's soul had atrophied to the point that the technicians thought it was just a pimple on his butt, and so they popped it. So there you have it!
Jesus is Our Savior! No New Taxes! Protect Our Borders! Go Mitt!!!!!
Jay Severin Has A small pen1s wrote on December 21, 2007 9:11 AM:Pats win the world series, eh? I guess when you are 14-0 anything's possible.
Makes me think about Ted Kennedy famous "Mike McQuire and Sammy Souza" line.
Why do politicians try to pretend to be like us?
NCBlueneck wrote on December 21, 2007 9:24 AM:Sting had the best line...
"Some would say I was a lost man in a lost world
You could say I lost my faith in the people on TV
You could say I'd lost my belief in our politicians
They all seemed like game show hosts to me"
To me, Mitt is that game show host.
Rob Davies wrote on December 21, 2007 9:33 AM:Does anyone know if he actually was an English literature major?
bill57 wrote on December 21, 2007 9:38 AM:Hey Mitt, I'm talking to you numbnuts!! The pats didn't win the world series...the colts did!!Least I'm pretty sure they did... see, I didn't actually watch ( in the dictionary def sense)it. I was out hunting...varmints...like ground squirrels, gophers and such...Good god...football/world series and hunting/small varmint. He's a real mans man. What a dweeb.
Bill Belichick wrote on December 21, 2007 9:41 AM:Don't doubt me. Obama '08.
sabatia wrote on December 21, 2007 9:48 AM:MITT A GREAT AMERICAN HERO
When Mitt and I were serving together in Nam, I will never forget the day he led our team in an attack on flanking pill boxes. He dragged five wounded all by himself for almost three miles, inspite of multiple wounds to his leg and stomach, that is, after he took out the pillboxes and "took care of" the prisoners--they were gooks so who cares. He deserved the Medal of Honor, but being a humble man, he would only recieve a purple heart and a bronze star. I am so proud to see his sons serving the nation, like Mitt, at this time of war. He must be so proud to see them in their uniforms saluting the Flag of this great Christian nation!
Jesus is our Savior! No New Taxes! Defend Our Borders! Go Mitt!!!!!!
BJ wrote on December 21, 2007 9:52 AM:>
I think what he meant was most of his courses were taught in English.
Liam wrote on December 21, 2007 10:29 AM:Looks like MittHead has gotten his magic Mormon panties in a bunch.
Thanks Mitt for letting us know that Tom Brady won a Baseball World Series Ring. Can you see if he removes it when he throws a football.
MittHead just revealed that he saw his father march with Dr.King just a much as he saw a Football team win the Baseball championship.
What a MittHead Maroon!.
Glaucon wrote on December 21, 2007 10:30 AM:Let's not forget there are two parses here, not one. If the Mittster's dad did not really march with King, then Mitt needs to parse on both 'march with' and 'saw.' And the former is more important than the latter. If there is no literal truth to the underlying claim, then Mitt can hardly excuse himself by claiming to have figuratively seen a non-event.
ineedalife wrote on December 21, 2007 10:32 AM:Jeez, who is his speech writer, Jon Lovitz? "Hmm,how do I this? My family is for civil rights? Noo. My family saw MLK? No. My Dad marched with MLK!? Hmm, maybe. I SAW my Dad march with MLK!!! THAT"S THE TICKET!!!"
ineedalife wrote on December 21, 2007 10:36 AM:Well he was going to lose his own state anyways in the general election. He just gave them the big FU by showing he doesn't connect with their real religion. The BoSox win World Series, the Pats win Superbowls. it is like the rest of us don't know the Mormon faith but we really don't expect to win elections in Utah either.
rockgolf wrote on December 21, 2007 10:52 AM:So accord to Mitt, it depends on what the meaning of "see" sees.
Never trust a dictionary. It defines "mother" as the scum that forms on vinegar, and "baby" as the upside-own reflection of an image in an eye.
Liam wrote on December 21, 2007 11:06 AM:Well hell, no wonder the Patriots won The World Series. The Colorado Rockies never had chance, with the Patriots all out blitz rushes on the Rockies' Pitchers.
Perhaps we better double check; it is hard to believe that MittHead was actually the Governor of the home state of the Patriots.
Largo wrote on December 21, 2007 11:14 AM:Patriots in the World Series? He just lost the jock vote, if jocks vote. Maybe he's clarifying his BS and we're just not getting it. His Dad marched with MLK in the same way that the Patriots played in the World Series. It didn't happen.
M Martens wrote on December 21, 2007 2:16 PM:"I do not believe that any American is justified in breaking the law. And I think if he breaks the law, he ought to pay the penalty. And I think that applies to Martin Luther King or anybody else." - Gov. George Romney, October 30, 1967 during speech to New England newspaper editors at the Ritz Carleton in Boston.
illlich wrote on December 21, 2007 2:52 PM:Did Romney really say he watched the "Patriots win the World Series?"
I remember when John Kerry confused David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez (creating the baseball superhuman "Manny Ortez")-- the local sports geeks on AM radio couldn't get enough of it, playing the clip over and over like the "Howard Dean scream" several years ago.
Boston is a SPORTS town above all, I am curious if those same wing-nuts that harped on about Kerry's comment will allow this to go. Are they loyal to the party or the team first?
Then again-- do you really want a President that knows his sports? If (former MLB owner) George W. Bush is the best example, I guess not.
RonK, Seattle wrote on December 22, 2007 12:03 AM:Could be a big Romney win vs the "liberal media"!
Contemporaneous media accounts and live first-person witnesses suggest Romney was correct -- literally, not figuratively -- that his father did march hand in hand with MLK Jr.
