Military parents give Romney two chances to get personal

 

 

MARCH 5, 2012

 

It wasn’t exactly a campaign-changing moment, when a presidential candidacy is altered by a seemingly spontaneous show of emotion, but Mitt Romney got a chance Saturday to show his personal side on national TV when he was confronted by the weeping father of an Afghanistan war veteran.

The exchange, on Mike Huckabee’s Fox News candidate forum, was a priceless opportunity for Romney, whose perceived lack of authenticity as a candidate has perhaps been his biggest shortcoming in two presidential runs.

In a choked voice, one of the panelists on the show, St. Louis-area business owner David McArthur, told Romney that his son had received a head wound and suffered from severe post-traumatic stress disorder, but had repeatedly been denied services by the Veterans Administration because his wounds were not visible.

“Sir, will you look me in the eye and tell me he’ll be taken care of?” he asked Romney.

“David, my heart breaks for you and your family,” replied the candidate, as the camera showed tears rolling down McArthur’s face.

“It’s, it’s just hard to imagine what it could be like. I have five boys, as you know. Having one of them injured that way — having one, having his life taken, it’s just — it’s something you can only imagine, you can’t know, unless you’ve really experienced it, as you have, and I want you to know who much I appreciate your son’s sacrifice for our country,” Romney said.

“I will do everything in my power to help your son, and men and boys and women and girls like him. We have such a debt of gratitude to these individuals, and I can’t tell you enough how much I’m moved by your experience, and what debt I believe this country owes to your son and to others like him, and we’ll stay in touch, David. I want to make sure that he gets the kind of care he needs and that he has a bright and rewarding life.”

Romney had another chance to show his human side moments later, when Michael O’Machearley of Wilmington, Ohio, another questioner on the show, said his son had been killed in Iraq in 2003.

“You say you won’t cut benefits for any of those heroes who are returning. Will you increase them?” he asked Romney.

“Ah, Michael,” Romney said, drawing a deep sigh. “First let me express my respect and admiration for you and for your family and for the sacrifice of your son. It is, it’s something one can imagine but one can’t really feel, like I know your family feels it tonight, and I, and I appreciate that sacrifice.”

Romney went on to say that he wouldn’t cut military spending if he became president. But he never responded to the question about increasing benefits.