"60 MINUTES" INTERVIEWS BECOME THE LAUNCHING PAD FOR MORE ELECTION 2012 SPARRING............

Campaigning in Colorado today, before joining his running mate Congressman Paul Ryan on a three day bus tour of Ohio, beginning tomorrow - Governor Mitt Romney was in fighting form over comments President Barack Obama made in separate interviews with the both of them broadcast on last night's CBS News "60 Minutes", program.  In his own interview with Scott Pelley, Romney argued his case for being able to work on the economic problems before us, without getting specific about his plans, even when asked more than once for specifics by Pelley.  He responded as he and Ryan have recently, that the details of what they will do if elected to the White House will then be worked out with Congress and put before the American People.  As for criticism of gaffes and disclosures, such as his comments on the 47%; and the need to re-boot his campaign in the final six weeks until the Election, Romney told Pelley, there is no need for a turnaround, as he has a very good campaign and staff; it is his saying of certain things less than elegantly that the correspondent is referring to, not the effectiveness of his campaign.  In his interview with "60 Minutes" correspondent Steve Croft, Obama in speaking about recent violent developments in the Middle East, referred to them as bumps in the road in the situation there as Libya, Eygpt, and other Arab nations are faced  with more than Islam, as their organizing principle for the first time.  Calling recent occurrences bumps in the road, caused Romney today in his campaign speech in Colorado to roundly criticize the President for the comment, deriding Obama for calling them bumps in the roads, when the taking of American lives and the assassination of an Ambassador were involved, he said the problem is poor leadership on Obama's part. Romney also said, "We're at the mercy of events rather than shaping events in the Middle East".  Also the Romney-Ryan campaign continues to decry what they call President Obama's unwillingness to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahou, while in New York City, for the United Nations General Assembly opening today and tomorrow; although Obama is not meeting with any other international leaders, while there.  Both the Obama-Biden campaign and the White House quickly responded knocking down these criticisms, with Press Secretary Jay Carney at his daily White House briefing calling Romney's comments, "desperate and offensive".  With the Presidential Debates, nine days from starting, and increased intensity in campaigning, issues foreign, domestic, and otherwise, will all play some role in the competition to convince likely voters to elect or re-elect the next President of the United States, in a race where Romney says he will win, despite polls to this point continuing to give Obama the edge............Fr.  Troy