mittromney purposedrivenlife feb7 2008

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he Page - by Mark Halperin - TIME

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ttp://thepage.time.com/transcript-of-romneys-speech-withdrawing-from-the-race/ (1 of 9)2/8/2008 7:00:12 PM
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eturn to The PageThe PagePolitics Up to the Minuteby Mark

alperin| Friday, February 08, 2008

Transcript of Romneys Speech WithdrawingFrom the Race

overnor Romneys Address to the Conservative Political Action Committee February 7, 2008

want to begin by saying thank you. Its great to be with you again. And I look forward to joining wi

ou many more times in the future.

ast year, CPAC gave me the sendoff I needed. I was in single digits in the polls and I was facing

ousehold Republican names. As of today, more than 4 million people have given me their vote for

esident, less than Senator McCains 4.7 million, but quite a statement nonetheless. 11 states have

ven me their nod, compared to his 13. Of course, because size does matter, hes doing quite a bit be

ith his number of delegates.

o all of you, thank you for caring enough about the future of America to show up, stand up and spea

p for conservative principles.

s I said to you last year, conservative principles are needed now more than ever. We face a new

neration of challenges, challenges which threaten our prosperity, our security and our future. I am

nvinced that unless America changes course, we will become the France of the 21st centurystill

eat nation, but no longer the leader of the world, no longer the superpower. And to me, that is

nthinkable. Simon Peres, in a visit to Boston, was asked what he thought about the war in Iraq. Fir

said, I must put something in context. America is unique in the history of the world. In the histor

e world, whenever there has been conflict, the nation that wins takes land from the nation that loses

ne nation in history, and this during the last century, laid down hundreds of thousands of lives and t

o land. No land from Germany, no land from Japan, no land from Korea. America is unique in the

crifice it has made for liberty, for itself and for freedom loving people around the world. The best

ace has ever known, and will ever know, is a strong America!

nd that is why we must rise to the occasion, as we have always done before, to confront the challen

ead. Perhaps the most fundamental of these is the attack on the American culture.

http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1651341_1659188,00.html/http://www.time.com/time/cartoonsoftheweekhttp://www.time.com/time/picturesoftheweekhttp://thepage.time.com/http://thepage.time.com/bio/http://thepage.time.com/bio/http://thepage.time.com/bio/http://thepage.time.com/bio/http://thepage.time.com/http://thepage.time.com/http://www.time.com/time/picturesoftheweekhttp://www.time.com/time/cartoonsoftheweekhttp://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1651341_1659188,00.html/


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ver the years, my business has taken me to many countries. I have been struck by the enormous

fferences in the wealth and well-being of people of different nations. I have read a number of schol

planations for the disparities. I found the most convincing was that written by David Landes, a

ofessor emeritus from Harvard University. I presume hes a liberalI guess thats redundant. His w

aces the coming and going of great civilizations throughout history. After hundreds of pages of

alysis, he concludes with this:

we learn anything from the history of economic development, it is that culture makes all the

fference. Culture makes all the difference.

hat is it about American culture that has led us to become the most powerful nation in the history o

e world? We believe in hard work and education. We love opportunity: almost all of us are immigr

descendants of immigrants who came here for opportunityopportunity is in our DNA. American

ve God, and those who dont have faith, typically believe in something greater than themselvesa

Purpose Driven Life. And we sacrifice everything we have, even our lives, for our families, our

eedoms and our country. The values and beliefs of the free American people are the source of our

tions strength and they always will be!

he threat to our culture comes from within. The 1960s welfare programs created a culture of pover

ome think we won that battle when we reformed welfare, but the liberals havent given up. At every

rn, they try to substitute government largesse for individual responsibility. They fight to strip work

quirements from welfare, to put more people on Medicaid, and to remove more and more people fr

ving to pay any income tax whatsoever. Dependency is death to initiative, risk-taking and opportun

ependency is a culture-killing drugwe have got to fight it like the poison it is!

he attack on faith and religion is no less relentless. And tolerance for pornographyeven celebratio

itand sexual promiscuity, combined with the twisted incentives of government welfare programve led to todays grim realities: 68% of African American children are born out-of-wedlock, 45% o

ispanic children, and 25% of White children. How much harder it is for these children to succeed in

hooland in life. A nation built on the principles of the founding fathers cannot long stand when i

ildren are raised without fathers in the home.

he development of a child is enhanced by having a mother and father. Such a family is the ideal for

ture of the child and for the strength of a nation. I wonder how it is that unelected judges, like some

y state of Massachusetts, are so unaware of this reality, so oblivious to the millennia of recorded

story. It is time for the people of America to fortify marriage through constitutional amendment, soat liberal judges cannot continue to attack it!

urope is facing a demographic disaster. That is the inevitable product of weakened faith in the Crea

iled families, disrespect for the sanctity of human life and eroded morality. Some reason that cultur

erely an accessory to Americas vitality; we know that it is the source of our strength. And we are n

ssuaded by the snickers and knowing glances when we stand up for family values, and morality, an

lture. We will always be honored to stand on principle and to stand for principle.



5/9


he attack on our culture is not our sole challenge. We face economic competition unlike anything w

ve ever known before. China and Asia are emerging from centuries of poverty. Their people are

entiful, innovative, and ambitious. If we do not change course, Asia or China will pass us by as the

onomic superpower, just as we passed England and France during the last century. The prosperity

curity of our children and grandchildren depend on us.

ur prosperity and security also depend on finally acting to become energy secure. Oil producing sta

ke Russia and Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and Iran are siphoning over $400 billion per year from our

onomythats almost what we spend annually for defense. It is past time for us to invest in energy

chnology, nuclear power, clean coal, liquid coal, renewable sources and energy efficiency. Americ

ust never be held hostage by the likes of Putin, Chavez, and Ahmendinejad.

nd our economy is also burdened by the inexorable ramping of government spending. Dont focus

e pork aloneeven though it is indeed irritating and shameful. Look at the entitlements. `They mak

p 60% of federal spending today. By the end of the next Presidents second term, they will total 70%

ny conservative plan for the future has to include entitlement reform that solves the problem, not ju

knowledges it.

ost politicians dont seem to understand the connection between our ability to compete and our

tional wealth, and the wealth of our families. They act as if money just happensthat its just there

ut every dollar represents a good or service produced in the private sector. Depress the private secto

d you depress the well-being of Americans.

hats exactly what happens with high taxes, over-regulation, tort windfalls, mandates, and overfed,

ver-spending government. Did you see that today, government workers make more money than peoho work in the private sector. Can you imagine what happens to an economy where the best

pportunities are for bureaucrats?

s high time to lower taxes, including corporate taxes, to take a weed-whacker to government

gulations, to reform entitlements, and to stand up to the increasingly voracious appetite of the unio

our government!

nd finally, lets consider the greatest challenge facing Americaand facing the entire civilized wor

e threat of violent, radical Jihad. In one wing of the world of Islam, there is a conviction that allovernments should be destroyed and replaced by a religious caliphate. These Jihadists will battle an

rm of democracyto them, democracy is blasphemous for it says that citizens, not God shape the

hey find the idea of human equality to be offensive. They hate everything we believe about freedom

st as we hate everything they believe about radical Jihad.

o battle this threat, we have sent the most courageous and brave soldiers in the world. But their

umbers have been depleted by the Clinton years when troops were reduced by 500,000, when 80 sh

ere retired from the Navy, and when our human intelligence was slashed by 25%. We were told tha



6/9


e were getting a peace dividend. We got the dividend, but we didnt get the peace. In the face of ev

dical Jihad and given the inevitable military ambitions of China, we must act to rebuild our military

ight. Raise military spending to 4% of our GDP, purchase the most modern armament, re-shape ou

ghting forces for the asymmetric demands we now face, and give the veterans the care they deserve

oon, the face of liberalism in America will have a new name. Whether it is Barack or Hillary, the re

ould be the same if they were to win the Presidency. The opponents of American culture would pus

e throttle, devising new justifications for judges to depart from the constitution. Economic neophytould layer heavier and heavier burdens on employers and families, slowing our economy and openi

e way for foreign competition to further erode our lead.

ven though we face an uphill fight, I know that many in this room are fully behind my campaign. Y

e with me all the way to the convention. Fight on, just like Ronald Reagan did in 1976. But there is

mportant difference from 1976: today we are a nation at war.

nd Barack and Hillary have made their intentions clear regarding Iraq and the war on terror. They

ould retreat and declare defeat. And the consequence of that would be devastating. It would meantacks on America, launched from safe havens that make Afghanistan under the Taliban look like

ilds play. About this, I have no doubt.

disagree with Senator McCain on a number of issues, as you know. But I agree with him on doing

hatever it takes to be successful in Iraq, on finding and executing Osama bin Laden, and on elimina

l Qaeda and terror. If I fight on in my campaign, all the way to the convention, I would forestall the

unch of a national campaign and make it more likely that Senator Clinton or Obama would win. An

this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign, be a part of aiding a surrender to terror.

his is not an easy decision for me. I hate to lose. My family, my friends and our supporters many

ou right here in this room have given a great deal to get me where I have a shot at becoming

esident. If this were only about me, I would go on. But I entered this race because I love America,

cause I love America, I feel I must now stand aside, for our party and for our country.

will continue to stand for conservative principles; I will fight alongside you for all the things we

lieve in. And one of those things is that we cannot allow the next President of the United States to

treat in the face evil extremism!!

is the common task of each generationand the burden of libertyto preserve this country, expan

freedoms and renew its spirit so that its noble past is prologue to its glorious future.

o this task accepting this burden we are all dedicated, and I firmly believe, by the providence o

e Almighty, that we will succeed beyond our fondest hope. America must remain, as it has always

en, the hope of the earth.



7/9


hank you, and God bless America.

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