Romney Campaign Press Release - Romney For President Launches New Television Ad, "Jihad"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Kevin Madden (857) 288-6390

Boston, MA – Today, Romney for President launched its newest television ad, "Jihad." The ad highlights Governor Romney's belief that we must strengthen our intelligence services and our military to confront "this century's nightmare, Jihadism." Governor Romney has outlined a strong blueprint for strengthening our capabilities to defeat this threat.

The ad will begin airing as part of the campaign's rotation in Iowa today. Script and viewing links are below.

Script For "Jihad" (TV:30):

GOVERNOR MITT ROMNEY: "It's this century's nightmare, Jihadism – violent radical Islamic fundamentalism.

"Their goal is to unite the world under a single Jihadist caliphate.

"To do that, they must collapse freedom-loving nations like us.

"As President, I'll strengthen our intelligence services.

"Increase our military by at least 100,000.

"And monitor the calls Al-Qaeda makes into America.

"And we can stop and will stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

"I'm Mitt Romney and I approved this message."

To watch "Jihad," please see: http://mitt-tv.mittromney.com/?showid=426599

AD FACTS: Script For "Jihad" (TV:30):

GOVERNOR MITT ROMNEY: "It's this century's nightmare, Jihadism – violent radical Islamic fundamentalism. Their goal is to unite the world under a single Jihadist caliphate. To do that, they must collapse freedom-loving nations like us. As President, I'll strengthen our intelligence services."

- Governor Romney: "The key to effective homeland security, in my view, is intelligence, finding the attackers before they attack, gathering and analyzing tips, monitoring suspects, wiretapping, surveillance, all of the tools associated with intelligence work." (Governor Mitt Romney, Remarks At The National Press Club, Washington, D.C., 7/14/04)

- Governor Romney Will Protect The Homeland By Focusing On Prevention. While there has been much emphasis on protecting facilities and responding to attacks, a key priority must be prevention. Today, protecting the homeland must begin far from home. Intelligence and law enforcement efforts able to address threats before they reach our shores must be a priority for U.S. and international action. This will demand new U.S. capabilities, stronger international alliances and integration of our federal actions with international, state and local efforts. (Romney For President, "Governor Romney's Global Initiative For Values And Freedom," Press Release, 6/21/07)

- Governor Romney Will Strengthen Our Intelligence Services By Eliminating Bureaucracy And Moving Resources To The Field. During the Clinton Administration, our intelligence community was critically weakened. The CIA workforce was slashed by almost 20% and recruitment reduced dramatically, undermining effective human intelligence. We have started to restore resources but Washington's response has focused on creating a new, expanded and duplicative bureaucracy in the Directorate of National Intelligence. We need to eliminate duplicative efforts, revitalize recruitment and prioritize efforts. (Romney For President, "Governor Romney's Global Initiative For Values And Freedom," Press Release, 6/21/07)

GOVERNOR MITT ROMNEY: "Increase our military by at least 100,000."

- To Confront A New Generation Of Global Challenges, Governor Romney Believes We Need "An Unquestionably Strong Military." "We're going to defeat violent jihad with a two-part strategy. First: an unquestionably strong military. The best ally for peace in this world is a strong America. In my view, we need more men and women in our military, better armaments, and a strategic defense initiative." (Governor Mitt Romney, Remarks At The Conservative Political Action Conference, Washington, D.C., 3/2/07)

- Governor Romney Will Increase Our Military By At Least 100,000 More Troops. "First, we need a stronger military. I propose that we sharply increase our investment in national defense. I want to see at least 100,000 more troops. I want to see us finally make the long overdue investment in equipment, and armament, weapon systems, and strategic defense." (Governor Mitt Romney, Remarks At The George Bush Presidential Library Center, College Station, TX, 4/10/07)

- Governor Romney Will Commit At Least Four Percent Of Our Gross Domestic Product To The Military. "But we're going to need at least in my view an additional $30 to 40 billion per year over the next several years to modernize our military, to address our gaps in troop levels, and to ease the strain on our National Guard and our Reserves and of course to support our wounded soldiers. ... Based on my analysis, America should commit to spend a minimum, a minimum of 4% of gross domestic product on our national defense." (Governor Mitt Romney, Remarks At The George Bush Presidential Library Center, College Station, TX, 4/10/07)

- Heritage Foundation "Applauded Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney For Pledging To Increase Defense Spending." "The Heritage Foundation today applauded presidential candidate Mitt Romney for pledging to increase defense spending to four percent of gross domestic product, a national policy recommended in a Heritage study last month. 'We hope all candidates from both parties will see the wisdom of our proposal as well,' said Baker Spring, the think tank's lead defense analyst." ("Heritage Foundation Pleased With Romney's Embrace Of Its 4% Defense Funding Formula," The Heritage Foundation, 4/10/07)

- National Review: "Mitt Romney has called for adding 100,000 soldiers and boosting defense spending to four percent of GDP. These are sensible proposals, and we hope the other GOP candidates make similar ones." (Editorial, "Size Matters," National Review, 4/16/07)

GOVERNOR MITT ROMNEY: "And monitor the calls Al-Qaeda makes into America."

- Governor Romney Believes That "When Al Qaeda Calls Into America, We Should Be Listening." "When Al Qaeda calls into America, we should be listening. Unfortunately, the Democrats are moving to weaken our foreign intelligence listening capabilities. The Democrats are dangerously out of touch when it comes to defending our homeland. Our most basic civil liberty is the right to be kept alive and I agree with the President that we must use every tool at our disposal to keep America safe." (Gov. Mitt Romney, "Governor Mitt Romney On FISA Legislation," Press Release, 10/10/07)

- Governor Romney Supports Doing "Whatever It Takes" To Protect America From Terrorists. GOV. ROMNEY: "It means if people are coming to this country terrorizing or talking about terror in such a way that it could lead to the violent death of Americans, we need to know about that, track them, follow them, and make sure that in every way we can we know what they're doing and where they're doing it. And if it means we have to go into a mosque to wiretap or a church, then that's exactly where we're going to go because we're going to do whatever it takes to protect the American people." (Fox News, Republican Presidential Candidate Debate, Durham, NH, 9/5/07)

GOVERNOR MITT ROMNEY: "And we can stop and will stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. I'm Mitt Romney and I approved this message."

- In January 2007, Governor Romney Laid Out His Five-Point Strategy To Prevent A Nuclear Iran. "But today, I wish to focus on the regime that has become the heart of the Jihadist threat – Iran. I believe that Iran's leaders and ambitions represent the greatest threat to the world since the fall of the Soviet Union, and before that, Nazi Germany. ... A successful strategy on our part has to consider and encompass the people of Iran, as well as their leaders. That being said, let me just talk for a moment about a strategy which I think should be pursued. It includes five major dimensions." (Governor Mitt Romney, Remarks At The Seventh Annual Herzliya Conference, Herzliya, Israel, 1/23/07)

- Read The Strategy Here:
www.mittromney.com/News/Speeches/Herzliya_Conference

- Bill Bennett: "On Iran, you have been as strong and tough as anybody running for president, that's for sure." ("Bill Bennett's Morning In America," 9/20/07)

- Governor Romney: "Iran is an extraordinary threat to the nation and to the world as it considers nuclear armament; that is a course which is very threatening. ... It's essential for us to stop that." (Dolly A Butz, "Romney Calls For Isolation Of Iran," Sioux City Journal, 2/19/07)

- Governor Romney: "The Iranian regime threatens not only Israel, but also every other nation in the region, and ultimately the world. And that threat would take on an entirely new dimension if Iran were allowed to become a nuclear power." (Governor Mitt Romney, Remarks At The Seventh Annual Herzliya Conference, Herzliya, Israel, 1/23/07)

To watch "Jihad," please see: http://mitt-tv.mittromney.com/?showid=426599