Mitt Romney Calls President Bush To Offer Support

On the same day that the House of Representatives failed to override his veto of a bill forcing U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq, President Bush got a hang-in-there call from former Gov. Mitt Romney. An adviser to Romney said the presidential hopeful reached out to "commend the president for his veto" and to salute his "principled leadership in the war on terror." Chatting for less than 10 minutes, Bush and Romney also talked about the candidate's appearance tonight on Jay Leno and tomorrow's Politico/MSNBC debate.While Bush's parents are said to be sweet on Romney, the president has been studiously neutral about any preferences he may have. Romney, for his part, has offered mild criticism of the Iraq war, but has largely avoided much talk about Bush on the campaign trail. But the Romney adviser who relayed the conversation made plain that they weren't seeking to distance themselves from a chief executive who still retains support from loyal Republicans. "On the eve of this debate, it says we're not running from this guy at all," said the adviser on the meaning of the call.