Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Saturday ripped President Barack Obama's plans for a leaner military in a last push for support before a high-stakes debate with his rivals. "I want a military that's superior to anyone else in the world by a wide margin," the former Massachusetts governor and millionaire venture capitalist told a crowd of hundreds in a private high school gymnasium in Derry.
"A military that's extraordinarily strong, superior to others keeps others from doing dangerous things that would threaten us," he said hours before a 9 pm (0200 GMT) face-off with other contenders for the party's nomination. Romney was reacting to Obama's plans, announced at the Pentagon Thursday, to refit the US military to face down possible challenges from Iran or China with air and naval power, while virtually ruling out any future counter-insurgency campaigns such as those conducted in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Republican also warned his supporters against complacency fed by his wide lead in public opinion polls ahead of New Hampshire's nominating primary on Tuesday, his shot at notching a second win after the Iowa caucus last week. "Don't get too confident with those poll numbers, I've watched polls come and go, things change very quickly, it's very fluid. I need to make sure you guys get your friends to vote and you vote as well," he said.
A new daily tracking poll by Suffolk University found Romney in the lead with 39 percent support - down from 43 percent three days ago - Representative Ron Paul at 17 percent, and former House speaker Newt Gingrich at 10 percent. Christian conservative Rick Santorum was at nine percent, seemingly stalled after battling Romney to a near draw in Iowa, while former US China envoy Jon Huntsman was also at nine percent.
Santorum, who has questioned Romney's conservative credentials, warned Saturday that if the frontrunner got the nomination and beat Obama, "even if we win, we lose" because he won't bring "real change" to Washington. Texas Governor Rick Perry trailed at one percent, and 15 percent of the likely voters in the Republican primary surveyed were still undecided, leaving the race still fluid and making turnout critical. Nancy Francis, who is not registered as a Democrat or Republican, said she came to see Romney here but leans towards Huntsman because "he's not a wingnut" - a pejorative term for someone far to the right.
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