Romney Tones Down Criticism Over Protests

Mitt Romney is making news for what he didn't say today: He stopped his criticism of the Obama administration's response to the unrest in the Mideast. At a stop in Virginia, Romney paid tribute to the four Americans killed in Libya—though a heckler accused him of politicizing the situation—but made no mention of the last two days' criticism, reports Politico. The overseas protests resonated in another way, however.

While Romney spent much of his speech on the economy, he made a point to hammer the White House as being weak on foreign policy, as some conservatives have been urging him to do. “The world needs American leadership,” Romney said, according to the Washington Post. “The Middle East needs American leadership. And I intend to be a president that provides the leadership that America respects and will keep us admired throughout the world.” (More Mitt Romney 2012 stories.)