Romney challenges GOP to put ‘house in order’

Republican hopeful sees ‘a perilous time for our party ... for our country’

AP	Video: In his own words Former Gov. Mitt Romney, R-Mass., touches upon the primary themes of his campaign.
	Cartoons: Romney Msnbc.com's editorial cartoonists weigh in on Romney's candidacy.
Getty Images	Slide show: Born into politics Former Gov. Mitt Romney is a second-generation politician.

Interactive

Veepstakes!
Who did msnbc.com readers pick as No. 2 on the GOP and Democratic tickets?

NBC News

updated 4:21 p.m. ET Sept. 22, 2007

MACKINAC ISLAND, Mich. - Republican Mitt Romney on Saturday bluntly challenged his party to “put our own house in order” as the GOP presidential candidates courted activists in Michigan, now an important player in the nomination march.

Rivals John McCain and Rudy Giuliani also assailed Democratic contenders during a weekend retreat attended by some 1,500 Republicans on a picturesque Lake Huron island.

“Washington is failing us,” Romney said in a speech that is part of a new effort to cast him as the candidate who can lead the party back to its core principles.

Story continues below ↓

advertisement | your ad here

“The blame doesn’t all belong to the Democrats. We Republicans have to put our own house in order,” the former Massachusetts governor said.

McCain, in remarks planned for Saturday night, lamented “a perilous time for our party but, far more important, a perilous time for our country.” The Arizona senator attacked the national security positions of the leading Democratic candidates, although he did not name the politicians, and renewed his call for resolve on Iraq.

Former New York Mayor Giuliani drew boisterous bursts of applause, cheers and laughter Friday night for castigating the Democrats.

At one point, he asked: “Do we go in the direction of much larger government, which is where Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama or John Edwards will take us, or do we go in the direction of ... giving people more control over their own lives?”

The GOP gathering came three weeks after Michigan moved its primaries to Jan. 15, making it one of the earliest states to hold nominating contests in 2008.

Fred Thompson, the actor and former Tennessee senator, also was scheduled to speak Saturday night. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who is keeping the door slightly open to a possible late entry, was on hand, too.

Two underdog GOP candidates addressed the group; three others were absent.

There is no clear front-runner four months before the voting begins. Giuliani has an edge in national popularity polls. Thompson, in the race just two weeks, is giving chase. McCain is looking for momentum. Romney ranks behind them in national surveys, but leads in Iowa and New Hampshire, among the first states to vote.

Romney’s speech, coupled with fresh television ads and an open letter to party leaders, marks a shift as he seeks to capitalize on discontent among Republicans about the country’s direction.

With a sharp critique of the GOP, Romney is distancing himself from President Bush and Republicans who ran the House and Senate until last fall. Bush’s support is at a low mark as is Congress’ job approval.

CONTINUED : ‘I have the best chance’

1 | 2 | Next >