Republican Romney: Obama hurt US-Israel ties

WASHINGTON - Republican Mitt Romney announced Thursday that he will be running for US president, slamming Barack Obama for undermining America's relationship with Israel.

After officially declaring that he will be seeking the Republican Party's nomination, Romney slammed Obama for hurting US ties with Israel.

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"He seems firmly and clearly determined to undermine our longtime friend and ally,” he said. “He’s treating Israel the same way so many European countries have: with suspicion, distrust and an assumption that Israel is at fault.”

Romney with John McCain (Photo: AFP)

Romney said Obama has spent his first three years in office apologizing to the world for the United States' greatness, undercutting Israel and borrowing European-style economic policies. He also said Obama's policy in Afghanistan was wrong.

'Mr. President, you had your chance'

"I'm Mitt Romney and I believe in America. And I'm running for president of the United States," Romney said to cheers on a sunny farm in Southern New Hampshire.

The former business executive previewed a campaign message focused on the economic woes that top voters' concerns: rising gas prices, stubbornly high unemployment and persistent foreclosures.

"It breaks my heart to see what is happening to this great country," Romney said. "No, Mr. President, you had your chance."

"Barack Obama has failed America," Romney said as he began his second White House bid. "When Barack Obama took office, the economy was in recession, and he made it worse."

"This president's first answer to every problem is to take power from you. ... And with each of those decisions, we lose more of our freedoms," he said.

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