Ann Romney defends husband against criticism over placing dog in car-top carrier
Ann Romney tried Monday to defuse lingering criticism of her husband’s decision to put their dog in a car-top carrier for a 12-hour drive to Canada, saying their Irish setter, Seamus, loved it and knew it meant he was going on vacation with the family.
“It was, to me, a kinder thing to bring him along than to leave him in the kennel for, in a kennel for two weeks,’’ Ann Romney told ABC News anchor Diane Sawyer during an interview with her husband at Fenway Park.
The episode has become something of a measuring stick for the presumptive Republican presidential nominee’s human compassion, with critics saying it showed heartlessness and supporters disputing that or saying it shows Romney’s problem-solving ability.
One Democrat has even promised a super PAC to raise money for ads to highlight the incident with Internet ads in 10 battleground states.
Asked if he do the same thing again, Mitt Romney said, “Certainly not with the attention it’s received.’’
Ann Romney labeled the scrutiny, which stemmed from a 2007 Globe article detailing the 1983 incident, as “crazy.’’
She added: “The dog loved it,’’ repeating a line her husband has used in the past.
When Sawyer noted that Seamus got sick during the trip, prompting her husband to pull over and hose down both him and the car before putting the dog back on the roof for the duration of the journey, Ann Romney said it was an isolated incident.
“Once,’’ she said. “We traveled all the time, and he ate the turkey on the counter. I mean, he had the runs. But, he would see that crate and, you know, he would, like, go crazy, because he was going with us on vacation.’’
During the same interview, Mitt Romney said he would respond to voter questions about his Mormon faith but added: “I’m not running for pastor-in-chief. I’m running for commander in chief.’’
Ann Romney said her husband’s involvement in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was telling for her because he spent time counseling others as he served as a bishop.
“When Mitt was serving as bishop, it was a very busy time in our life, where we had all these young children, Mitt had a very demanding job. And for me it meant that I actually had more responsibilities in the home and I was doing more, but I never, ever regretted a minute that he spent. Because what he was doing most often was counseling people and helping people,’’ she said.
Ann Romney added: “I was never a person that was upset about, like, how much time was it taking and, you know, this is taking away from us. It was enriching our lives.’’
She also told Sawyer that she was misperceived when she was overheard during the weekend saying it was “an early birthday present’’ for a Democratic strategist to criticize her for talking about economic issues when she was a wealthy stay-at-home mother. Ann Romney turned 63 on Monday.
Republicans at large and the Romney campaign specifically pounced on the comment by CNN contributor Hilary Rosen and labeled it a Democratic attack on women.
“That wasn’t how I meant it,’’ said Ann Romney. “It was a birthday gift to me because I love the fact that we’re talking about this.’’
She added: “I will say for me financial security has not been a huge issue. But that does not mean I’m not compassionate. It does not mean that I have not had different challenges. Everyone in life has their challenges, mine have not been financial.’’
Ann Romney suffers from multiple sclerosis and also was treated for breast cancer.
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