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SALT LAKE CITY — Pres. Obama was overheard on a hot mic Monday telling Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that he would have "more flexibility" in missile defense negotiations after November's general election.
"On all these issues, but particularly missile defense, this can be solved, but it's important for him to give me space," Obama said, speaking about incoming Russian President Vladimir Putin. "This is my last election. After my election, I have more flexibility."
Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich both pounced on Obama for the comments.
"The president basically said to a Russian leader, 'Please wait until after the election so I can sell out,'" Gingrich said Monday.
The Romney camp were quick to send an email criticizing the comments.
"President Obama signaled that he's going to cave to Russia on missile defense, but the American people have a right to know where else he plans to be ‘flexible' in a second term," it read.
The comments have been seen as an unexpected gift from the Obama campaign after a Romney aide compared Romney to an Etch A Sketch on the campaign trail, leading to renewed attacks on the candidate's past of changing positions on hot-button issues.
Obama later joked about the mistake, covering the microphone in front of him upon again seeing Medvedev and laughing.
Romney gets pranked
Pranksters have recently created a Romneycare website that the candidate's campaign will not likely find amusing.
The "I Like Romneycare" website redirects to a page on Pres. Obama's campaign website: one devoted to Obamacare, with a large "I Like Obamacare" splashed across the top of the page. Visitors can also "like" Obamacare on Facebook, sign up for campaign emails and donate to the Obama campaign.
A recently-formed group called Viral Majority has claimed responsibility for the prank. On Twitter, the group has said its goal is to push a "progressive political agenda."
The site is a juxtaposition of two healthcare acts that have been sources of controversy throughout the election season: Romney's Massachusetts healthcare plan, widely labeled "Romneycare," and Obamacare, which is currently being heard before the Supreme Court. Romney has in the past fought comparisons of the two plans, saying what was right for his state is not necessarily right for the nation as a whole.
The Obama campaign, meanwhile, has come to embrace the term "Obamacare," which was originally used mainly by Republican rivals of the program.
"It's the two-year anniversary of the Affordable Care Act," the text reads. "Since then, the law that almost everyone calls Obamacare has been doing exactly what the other side has hoped it wouldn't do: It's been working."
We are trying out a new tactic and asking our supporters at our rallies for a nominal donation. And guess what, it is working.
–Gingrich campaign
Newt Gingrich charges for photo oppsAs Newt Gingrich battles to remain standing in a race that has increasingly been seen as a fight between Romney and Rick Santorum, Gingrich's campaign has turned to a new fundraising tactic to fill campaign coffers.
The National Journal reported Monday that Gingrich is now charging supporters $50 for a photo with him. Campaign staffers reportedly snap a picture and tell supporters the picture can be found online, but only after first asking for credit card information.
The move comes after the Gingrich campaign posted debt totals equalling cash on hand in February.
Gingrich campaign staffers called the fee a "nominal donation" in an email to reporters.
"We are trying out a new tactic and asking our supporters at our rallies for a nominal donation," it read. "And guess what, it is working. We have over 175,000 donors who contribute on average $50 to $100 at a time."
