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Mitt In FL, Leapfrogging Fred

JACKSONVILLE – On the same day that Fred Thompson swung into Tallahassee for a meeting with Gov. Charlie Crist (R), Mitt Romney distinguished himself from his rival on two issues dear to Floridians: the primary and the Everglades.

Thompson told the AP that he wouldn’t rule out drilling for oil in the Everglades, but he didn’t give the proposition a ringing endorsement, either. When briefed by a reporter after a campaign stop in Orange Park about Thompson’s comments and asked his own views on the matter, Romney balked at the idea.

“In the Everglades?” Romney asked, surprised. “You’re kidding.”

“Let’s take that off the table,” he said, adding, “We’re not going to drill in the Everglades. There are certain places in America that are national treasures, and the Everglades is one of those. It’s environmentally extraordinarily sensitive. The people of Florida would never support such a thing.”

The former MA gov also acknowledged that he intends to commit to the Sunshine State for the 1/29 primary, despite pressure being applied to FL by the nat'l party for trying to leapfrog traditional early states in the primary calendar.

“Florida is going to play a key role in the selection of the nominee in our party, and it’s going to play a key role in the selection of the next president, so you can expect me to be on TV with ads as I am now, making appearances here, and if the question is ever raised about seating Florida’s delegates at the Republican convention, I’ll fight to have them seated,” he said [ERIN McPIKE]

3 Comments

Romney is so much more clued in on America, her people and her issues. America and the Republican Party is his passion.

Like Romney or not, at least the guy cares enough to figure out the issues. Fred seems too crusty and out of touch to me.

Fred is just so. . yawn. . sleepy. We haven't had a sharp, sassy, COMPETENT candidate like Mr. Romney for decades. Come on, wake up FL and help your country out by doing the right thing.