Romney says Northern Virginia could settle election

By Wesley P. Hester, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va.

Sept. 14-Kicking off a rally in a Fairfax park Thursday, Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney said that “Northern Virginia could well determine who the next president is.”

Romney began his remarks by paying tribute to the four Americans killed in Libya.

“We have heavy hearts across America today,” he said, noting he intended to hold a moment of silence but that a heckler would not be silent.

Fairfax resident Glen Colen said in a phone call that he was the one who heckled Romney. He said he was asking “why he was politicizing the event in Libya and when he would apologize to (slain U.S. Ambassador) Christopher Stevens’ family.”

Romney spoke of the nation’s military strength, decrying impending cuts and saying that President Barack Obama would reduce the military to levels that could not fight two conflicts at one time.

“The Middle East needs American leadership,” he said, pledging to “restore military commitments.”

Romney also slammed Obama for not mentioning unemployment in his speech at the Democratic National Convention, claiming the address lacked specifics.

“For us to have a strong military, of course you have to have a strong economy,” he said. “I didn’t just study the economy in school; I’ve actually lived in the economy for 25 years.”

The Obama campaign issued a response.

“Mitt Romney today said that he would make America stronger, but we know that’s not true,” said Obama campaign spokeswoman Lis Smith, saying that Romney’s “policies won’t make America stronger — they’re part of the same formula that crashed the economy.”

whester@timesdispatch.com (804) 649-6976

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Category: National