Romney hits the high notes

MIDLAND The poorly timed parade of 2008 presidential candidates through the Permian Basin continued Wednesday, as former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney marched into the Tall City.

Less than two weeks after New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson spoke in Odessa on the season’s first football Friday night, Romney appeared before the Midland Republican Women Luncheon on the day two Odessa police officers were buried.

Romney stuck to national issues, bashing the democratic candidates in the field.

While he praised President Bush, Illinois Sen. Barrack Obama took a large chunk of Romney’s bite. Romney said he was reminded of Obama during U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus’s remarks before Congress.

“Barrack Obama would have pulled the troops out,” Romney said. “Al-Qaeda would have a safe haven in Afghanistan.”

“This president has kept us safe the last six years,” he said.

On the issue of border security, Romney called for the construction of a border fence, along with an employment verification system. He also spoke out against amnesty for illegal immigrants.

“In my view, there should be no special pathway to permanent residency or citizenship because you came here illegally,” he said.

While he said it was a problem to have 47 million people in the United States without health insurance, Romney called for a program that is market-based rather than government run.

“I don’t want the bureaucracy that managed the Katrina cleanup to manage our health insurance,” he said.

Romney also spoke out against new highway construction.

“I’m not going to spend our federal dollars building a superhighway,” he said to applause. “We have an existing Interstate Highway System and it needs repairs.”

Debbie Nobles of Midland, one of the audience members at the Midland Center, said she most liked Romney’s plans to make Bush’s tax cuts permanent. If the Republican primary were today, she would vote for Romney.

“I was very impressed,” she said.