Mitt Romney declared his intention to run as the Republican candidate for president on a platform of family values, small government and a hard line against terrorism.
WASHINGTON: Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney declared his intention to run as the Republican candidate for president on Tuesday on a platform of family values, small government and a hard line against terrorism.
"Today as we stare at the face of radical violent jihad and at the prospect of nuclear epidemic, our military might should not be subject to the whims of ever-changing political agendas," he told a cheering crowd gathered in the Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.
Romney, whose father served as Michigan's governor for six years, pledged to block Iran's nuclear ambitions, warned of a "second aspiring tyrant" in Latin America and said the US role in the world must be to "lead, to serve and to share."
"America must never engage and negotiate with jihadists who want to destroy us, destroy our friends and destroy our way of life," he said before warning that Democratic plans to withdraw from Iraq would be "devastating."
"So long as there is a reasonable prospect of success, our wisest course is to seek stability in Iraq, with additional troops endeavoring to secure the civilian population."
Romney is a successful businessman who only entered political life 12 years ago and is known for his conservative views. If elected, Romney, 59, would be the first Mormon to serve as president -- a factor some point to in suggesting he is unelectable, with polls suggesting Americans are more prepared to vote for a female or black candidate than a member of the Mormon church.
A Boston businessman, Romney first entered politics in 1994, when he unsuccessfully stood against Ted Kennedy for Massachusetts senator.
In 1999 he was brought in to rescue the scandal-tainted organization of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, earning plaudits for his handling of the games.
It was on his reputation as a good manager that he was elected in 2002 as governor for Massachusetts, then facing budgetary difficulties.
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