Interviewing Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on the June 22 broadcast of Newsradio 850 KOA's Colorado's Morning News, co-hosts Steffan Tubbs and April Zesbaugh uncritically allowed Romney to assert that “everybody running for president has changed their mind on issues from time to time. If they haven't, they're stubborn and they shouldn't be running for office.” But the KOA crew did not raise the fact that during the 2004 presidential campaign -- when he was governor of Massachusetts -- Romney repeatedly attacked Massachusetts senator and Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry for purportedly changing his mind on issues.

During the interview, Tubbs cited CBS News 60 Minutes correspondent Mike Wallace's recent characterization of Romney as “a flip-flopper.”

From the June 22 broadcast of Newsradio 850 KOA's Colorado's Morning News:

TUBBS: Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney joining us on the 850 KOA news line. You were featured on 60 Minutes with Mike Wallace not too many weeks ago, and one of the things that was brought up in that was that you are a flip-flopper, that you flip-flop on issues. Let's talk specifically -- you brought the war up. What is your solution in Iraq?

ROMNEY: Well, first I'd say that I think everybody running for president has changed their mind on issues from time to time. If they haven't, they're stubborn and they shouldn't be running for office. With regards to Iraq, my view has been pretty consistent over time. I don't know if there's any particular change there. I think we've done a, a less-than-effective job in managing the war in Iraq following the collapse of Saddam Hussein. We did a great job knocking him down, but after that we've not done a great job at all. I do support the troop surge at this point. I have high hopes that it will bring stability to [Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Kamal] al-Maliki's government, and, and they'll be able to take over. We're going to get the benchmarks reported on in September and December by General [David] Petraeus. If it's going well -- and I hope it is -- we'll be able to start bringing down our troops.

In spite of Romney's characterization of presidential candidates who do not change their mind as “stubborn,” the following news articles document some of Romney's attacks on Kerry's supposed “flip-flopping” during the final stretch of the 2004 presidential campaign, including Romney's widely reported speech at the Republican National Convention.

• The Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call reported (subscription required; accessed through the Nexis database) in a September 1, 2004, article:

Meanwhile, Romney who was relatively unknown by the Iowa delegates, worked the six-table room, shaking hands with each person. His speech, aside from the mention of his time spent in Iowa, was largely focused on Sen. John Kerry's (D-Mass.) alleged flip-flopping on key issues of the day, a similar theme to the one hammered home by [former New York Gov. George] Pataki.

“In politics it is standard operating procedure to call your opponent a flip-flopper,” said Romney. “In this case, this guy really is one.”

• The Washington Post reported Romney's speech at the September 1, 2004, Republican National Convention, in which he said, “Senator Kerry now tells us he has a clear position on the war on terror. He voted no on Desert Storm in 1991 and yes on Desert Shield today. Then he voted no on troop funding, just after he'd voted yes. He's campaigned against the war all year, but says he'd vote yes today. This nation can't afford presidential leadership that comes in 57 varieties.”

• An October 16, 2004, Associated Press article (accessed through Nexis), titled “Massachusetts governor says Kerry makes him nervous,” reported:

Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said Saturday that Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry is not strong enough on security or the economy.

“As I looked at (his) record for the last 20 years in the Senate, it makes me nervous,” Romney said at the Iowa GOP's annual Ronald Reagan Dinner. “He has been wrong on every single issue I can think of relating to national security since I have been watching him.”

Kerry, a U.S. senator from Romney's home state, has flip-flopped in his position on Iraq, Romney said.

“He has been on both sides, including the wrong side... ” he said.