Romney: It's good to live a "normal life" again
Nearly five months after losing the presidential election, former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney says he's happy to be living a "normal life" again - even though he's still "very concerned" about America's direction.
Romney, speaking yesterday in a radio interview with talk show host Dennis Miller, talked about the relief of getting out of the "bubble" of being a national political figure, and the return to citizen life he's enjoyed since his loss to President Obama last November.
"The bubble is a different experience. Being in your own charter aircraft, having the Secret Service accompany you everywhere you go, and, you know, outside your front door at night -- I mean, it's really quite an unusual thing and kind of exciting, certainly initially," he told Miller. "But I have to admit, being able to go back to our own life and you know going to the grocery store and shopping on my own is kind of nice. To be by myself without a bunch of people hanging around with me."
After the "grueling" life of three years on the campaign trail, he said, "I like the life of being an American citizen. It's good to live a normal life again."
That doesn't mean he doesn't wish it were he calling the shots at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Romney said he was still "very concerned about the country," and insisted he's going to continue trying to use his influence - however limited - to get the country on a course of "remaining strong and powerful in terms of our values, our military, our soft power, our economy."
"I wouldn't have gotten into this if I thought everything was going swimmingly. And I'm still concerned about the country, and I keep looking for the most effective way for me to try and get the country on a course of - of remaining strong and powerful in terms of our values, our military, our soft power, our economy," he said. "I'm gonna keep finding ways to keep America as strong and vibrant as possible. But that's the frustration with losing -- which is I don't have the influence I obviously could have had had I won that election."
