ELECTION 2012

Romney 'Pleased' With Obama's Afghan Trip

Updated: May 2, 2012 | 4:58 p.m.
May 1, 2012 | 9:58 p.m.

(L) U. S. President Barack Obama speaks to local residents at atown hall style meeting at a hybrid seed corn company onAugust 17, 2011 in Atkinson, Illinois. The President heldtown hall meetings in southern Minnesota, northeasternIowa and western Illinois and made other stops on his histhree-day bus tour through the Midwest. UPI/Brian Kersey   (R) Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney addresses the Northern VirginiaTechnology Council - Consumer Electronics Presidential Series breakfast in Reston, Va., Friday, Feb. 10,2012. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen) ((L) UPI/Brian Kersey, (R) AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney late Tuesday said in a statement that he was "pleased" that President Obama had visited Afghanistan and said Americans "deserve to hear" from Obama what is at stake there.

The statement steered clear of the type of arguments pumped forth from both campaigns over the last several days.

Romney, who earlier criticized Obama for his campaign's suggestion that Romney would not have ordered the raid that killed 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden, released the statement roughly two hours after Obama finished addressing Americans from Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan.

Romney's statement continued, "Success in Afghanistan is vital to our nation’s security. It would be a tragedy for Afghanistan and a strategic setback for America if the Taliban returned to power and once again created a sanctuary for terrorists. We tolerated such a sanctuary until we lost thousands on September 11, 2001. Many brave Americans have sacrificed everything so that we could win this fight for a more secure future. Let us honor the memory of the fallen, not only by keeping them in our daily thoughts but also by staying true to their commitment. We are united as one nation in our gratitude to our country’s heroes.”

 

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