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Romney Praises Kerry's Handling of Iran and Palestinian-Israel Conflict
Sunday, January 19, 2014 07:31 AM
By: Elliot Jager
Former GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney lauded Secretary of State John Kerry's handling of the Arab-Israel conflict and the Iranian nuclear program, in an interview with The New York Times.
"The greatest surprise has probably been watching… Kerry. I do know as [Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu said…[that] no agreement is better than a bad agreement... But progress with Iran is encouraging, and the efforts in Israel are laudable."
Romney praised Kerry for "working hard and making real efforts in tough places, and I hope he's making progress. I believe he's trying very hard to make very positive progress, and I tip my hat to [him]."
Romney was in Salt Lake City for the premiere of "Mitt," a documentary chronicling his two presidential campaigns.
In an interview with the Times, Kerry said that he would not entertain the possibility of another presidential run, but would back the Republican nominee.
N.J. Governor Chris Christie had handled his traffic scandal responsibly and the issue was behind him, in Romney's view.
Stating that he wanted to continue working to advance the party, Romney called on Republicans to unite regardless of the faction they support. He noted that he had campaigned for Ken Cuccinelli, the Republican gubernatorial candidate in Virginia, even though he did not embrace all of his policies.
Romney urged the party not to switch from primaries to caucuses or conventions. "I want the nominees to be selected by the broadest number of people in primaries."
On immigration, Romney said he favored a Republican proposal that would deal "with those who have come here illegally, that deals with the children of those who are here illegally, that deals with bringing in people of skill and experience."
He said that for him the hardest part in watching the "Mitt" documentary was when it caught his granddaughter crying over his defeat. "You know, that touches me."
As for whether his son Josh would follow him into politics, Romney said, "No, I don't think in any near-term setting he's likely to run. But frankly, that's between him and his wife, and I don't really know."
