Sexual politics for Couric
You know . . . that's an area that I never get into. Because I think that people make judgments, and you can judge other people. I'm not very good at that. And so, I think it's up to each person's personal view of the individual, and everybody has a different view.
I say that because you and I know that there have been some leaders in American history -- latest information about Franklin Delano Roosevelt. I happen to still think that Franklin Delano Roosevelt was an important president at a time in our history when we needed some courage.
Well, I'm certainly faithful to my spouse. Ann and I fell in love in high school. Our lives revolve around each other. I'd rather be with Ann than any other person in the world. And if I have any extra time, I wanna share it with Ann.
Couric: Well, what do you think of people who base their judgment at least partially on a candidate's ability to remain faithful to his or her spouse?
Romney: You know, I let people look at me any way they want to. I'm not gonna give advice to the American people in which aspects of a person's life they look at.
I think that you can evaluate a candidate any way you want to. It's a free country. There are a lot of things that go into it. When we elect a president, we're electing the leader of the free world. We're facing tremendous challenges ahead. I don't think we've come to terms with the nature of the threats against us, really in terms of radical Islam and the things we've got to do and the threats to the economy with the growing retirement population.
So, nobody's perfect. Everybody has weaknesses and has made mistakes one time or another in life.
If you violate the promise that you made to the one person on earth to whom you're supposed to be closest to, and this vow was made in front of your families, your closest friends, and God, and you don't keep that, then can we trust you to keep a promise that you made to people you don't even know? And I think that's the parallel.
Couric: Having said that, many people might argue, there have been a number of really fine presidents . . . FDR . . . even Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy.
Huckabee: I don't think it means that a person can't be a good president.
The only thing I can say to people is, I'm not perfect, you know? And I've made mistakes in my life. And not just in that area. In other areas, and I try to learn from it. I try to -- I feel sorry about them. I try to learn from them so I don't repeat them.
I have maybe a more generous view of human beings and a more generous view of life. I mean, it comes from growing up as a Catholic. I mean, we're all sinners. We're all struggling. We're all trying hard. We ask for forgiveness, and then we try to improve ourselves again. And I relate to other people that way. Relate to the world that way.
Some of our greatest presidents haven't always been terrific husbands. And some who have been wonderful husbands have been [laughs] rotten presidents.
I think that there has to be some space for privacy.
I do think that I'm very proud of the relationship I've got with Michelle, and the work and the value that I've put into it.
I'm very cautious about applying a blanket universal rule to people. Because, you know, I mean, there are some people who might say that the fact that I indulged in drugs when I was young, disqualifies me.
I think it would be a tough standard for most of American history to be able to meet, when we look at people who have made a big difference in our country.
I think sometimes we confuse the private and the public in ways that are not necessarily useful. So, of course, it's a deeply personal matter that I take personally. But I think on the public stage, there are a number of people who have represented our country, led our country, accomplished great achievements on behalf of our country who might have some challenges in their personal life, but have made a great contribution.
For a lot of Americans, including the family that I grew up with, it's fundamental to how you judge people and human character: Whether you keep your word, whether you keep what is your ultimate word, which is that you love your spouse, and you'll stay with them.
I don't think it's controlling. I mean, I think that, as you point out, there have been American presidents that at least according to the stories we've all heard, that were not faithful, that were in fact good presidents. So I don't think it controls the issue. But I think it's something reasonable for people to consider.