Romney rallies supporters in Reno

RENO -- An exuberant Mitt Romney recited "America the Beautiful" and spoke of returning the nation to the greatness envisioned by the founding fathers in addressing 600 supporters crammed into a tiny events center Thursday.

The Republican presidential candidate made no mention of his GOP challengers or his endorsement earlier in the day by Donald Trump, but he clearly was upbeat about his chances in Saturday's Nevada Republican caucus.

He drew constant cheering during an 18-minute address as he spoke about how he would lead the economic recovery.

"This president we elected to lead," Romney said about President Barack Obama. "He chose to follow. Now it is time for him to get out of the way."

Romney called Obama "extraordinarily naive" for the administration's new proposal to send five Guantanamo Bay detainees abroad to appease the Taliban in advance of Afghanistan peace talks. Romney said Obama was taking this step "as a sign of good faith to the Taliban," and that he as president would never appease the Taliban.

"I'm anxious to get him out of office," said Romney about Obama. "And anxious to get people working again. I don't want to go to war, but it makes no sense for him to tell the Taliban when we will get out of Afghanistan (in 2014)."

He accused Obama of being a "crony capitalist" who "takes your money and invests it in the businesses of his friends."

Before he spoke inside the Grove events center, Romney chatted outside with about 200 supporters who were gathered in 40-degree temperatures. He even autographed a yearbook from Cranbrock High School in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., that was handed to him by Tom Ball, a man who was a sophomore when Romney was a senior at the school.

At the time in 1965, Romney's father, George, was governor of Michigan.

Rather than talking politics, Romney spent much of the address waxing philosophic about his love for America, for hymns and mountains and recalling a long-ago trip west he took his family in their Rambler. Not only did he recite the familiar first verse of "America the Beautiful" but several other verses. He joked he lost the Iowa primary by a few votes because he tried to sing the song.

Unlike a Wednesday appearance in Reno by Newt Gingrich which attracted a predominantly older crowd, the people cheering Romney were of all ages, including many children.

"He has good family values, good moral values," said Stead resident Clinton Jamison about Romey. "That's how a president should be. He also is a businessman and we need a businessman to get things right in America."

Jamison came with his wife, Andrea, and their 1-year-old son.

"Romney is the answer," added Rick Worlton, a Reno man who came with his 15-year-old son, Jay. "He will be a great leader. Anybody is better than Obama."

Contact Capital Bureau Chief Ed Vogel at evogel@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3901.