LAKE GENEVA, Wis.
Hearing aid blamed for debate remark
Tommy Thompson cited a dead hearing aid and an urgent need to use the bathroom in explaining Saturday why he said at a GOP presidential debate that an employer should be allowed to fire a gay worker.
Speaking to reporters after an address at the state GOP convention, Thompson also said he was suffering from the flu and bronchitis and had been admitted to a hospital emergency room three days before the May 3 debate.
The day after the debate, he apologized, saying he had misinterpreted the question. On Saturday, he elaborated by saying he has lost hearing in one ear and his hearing aid battery for the other ear was dead.
HENNIKER, N.H.
Edwards urges grads to help end Iraq war
Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards appealed to college graduates Saturday to demand an end to the war.
“Congress’ real power to end this war is to use its funding power. But … it is not the only power in America,” Edwards said in a commencement speech at New England College. “The irresistible power of America lies in your hands.”
Also Saturday, Edwards launched a website – supportthetroopsendthewar.com – that outlines his plan to end the 4-year-old Iraq war.
HILLSDALE, Mich.
Romney calls for stronger military
Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney told graduates of a Michigan college Saturday that the U.S. military must be strengthened because evil exists in the world.
Romney said he wants to add at least 100,000 troops and re-equip the military because of armaments lost during fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan and to accelerate the nation’s missile defense system.
“The right course for America in a world where evil still exists is not acquiescence and weakness, it is assertiveness and strength,” the former Massachusetts governor said in a commencement address at Hillsdale College.
