But Mr. Romney came under
withering criticism for distorting the chain of events overseas and appearing
to seek political advantage from an attack that claimed American lives. A
statement he personally approved characterized an appeal for religious tolerance
issued by the American Embassy in Cairo as sympathy for the attackers even
though the violence did not occur until hours after the embassy statement. Mr.
Romney on Wednesday said the embassy statement, which was disavowed by the
administration, was “akin to apology, and I think was a severe miscalculation.”
New York Times, September
13, 2012
Governor Romney defended
his statement to a reporter at a campaign event in Jacksonville, quoting a line
from a 1971 film starring Ryan O’Neal and Ali McGraw. “You know at the end of Love Story, when
Oliver Barrett IV is paying tearful tribute to Jennifer Cavilleri? And he says ‘Love means never having to say
you’re sorry’? Know what? He was right, fella. I love America and as President, gosh darn
it, I’ll never, ever say I’m sorry or apologize for anything.”
In an impromptu and
sometimes rambling speech, Romney went on to give examples of situations in
which he would offer no apology.
Domestic relations: “Ann’s always harping at me to put the seat
down when I’m done doing my business. I’ve
been a businessman all my life. I think
I know a little something about input and output, about the importance of
keeping a firm grip on the old tiller. Ladies,
you need to look before you sit, it’s just that simple. You don’t need a big government program to do
it for you. Yeah, so someone left the
seat up, so what? You want to be able to
say, ‘I’m woman, hear me roar. I did that.
I put that seat down.’ ”
Mormon Doctrine: “From 1848 to 1978, black people couldn’t be
priests or take part in ceremonies in the Mormon Temple. This was perfectly reasonable and rational at
the time based on our understanding of scripture. Blacks, unfortunately, carry the Curse of Ham
so naturally we couldn’t just let them go traipsing around like curse-free white
people. Then in 1978 poof, gone! The ban was lifted, story over. Turns out it was just a silly typo in Joseph
Smith’s original transcription.”
History: “After Pearl Harbor Japanese-Americans on the
West Coast were really worried for their personal safety. Folks, let me tell you something. Americans are the world’s greatest
humanitarians. We put those poor,
unfortunate citizens in protective custody. It was a little like the Italian witness
protection program with sushi instead of meatball sandwiches. Those lucky people rode out the war in
comfort with plenty of fresh air, picturesque mountain views, safe from
sunami’s and anime. Apologize for
what? Sending people on a long vacation
out west on the government’s dime?”
Medicine: “How about the Tuskegee Syphilis Study? A bunch of poor, illiterate black
sharecroppers thought they were getting free government funded health care for
life. Turns out, the U.S. Public Health
Service was conducting a secret experiment to study the effects of untreated
syphilis over decades. My friends, this
is exactly why I will end Obamacare on my first day in office. This kind of thing would never happen in the
private sector where market forces can always be relied on to keep our citizens
safe and healthy while turning a profit for the rest of us risk takers.”
Infamous “corporations are
people” comment: “Corporations are
people, my friend. End of story. Mothers, you may want to take the kids outside
for this next part. Corporations are
fully developed people right from the moment of conception. Sperm, what I like to call capital impregnates the egg or the means of production deep within the
womb, known as unfettered markets. The embryo grows bigger every day, eventually
growing a little penis in place of gills and a tail. The government tries its best to end the
pregnancy but God in the form of the Supreme Court intervenes. The baby is born and grows to be a man, a
straight one I might add. Later, if the
man gets sick, medical specialists from Bain Capital prescribe proven
treatments like bleeding and trepanning.
Apologize? For what, preserving a
life? For being fairly compensated for
performing a medical miracle? Never.”
