Romney:Republicans have to STAND UP to Obama and say 'NO'

Former presidential candidate Mitt Romney called on Republicans to "stand up" to President Obama and his policies on the economy, health care and energy, in a wide-ranging interview with FOX News.

At a time when Republicans desperately are searching for a unifying leader and message, and Democrats add to their ranks in Congress, the former Massachusetts governor and 2008 presidential candidate took a no-excuses attitude toward his party.

"I think Republicans have to stand up and make it very, very clear that we run the risk as a nation of having the entire world lose confidence in the currency of the United States and that would lead to something worse than a recession -- that would lead to an extraordinary slowdown globally that would hurt us more than any other," Romney told FOX News Tuesday evening.

He said the GOP has a responsibility, however thin their numbers, to stand up to stimulus spending and excessive government intervention in health care.

"When the stimulus bill is wrong, when it wastes money and threatens the viability of our currency long-term, you have to stand up and say 'no.' When a health care plan says we're going to have the government take over health care which is roughly a fifth of our economy, Republicans are going to have to say 'no' to that," he said.

With the ranks of GOP rising stars thinning as a result of recent scandals and missteps, Romney is frequently talked about as a 2012 contender. Though not playing it up, Romney isn't ruling out another run at American politics' biggest prize.

"At this stage it's too early to try to see what's going to happen down the road," he said. "I haven't closed the door on my future, but I'm not walking through it either."

Romney said he thinks the GOP needs to keep reaching out to a broader range of voters, and that it would be "unfortunate" for the party to box itself in.

"I think we have to make it very clear that our principles are right and that what we believe will create a stronger more prosperous America, and we have to make sure to communicate that more effectively to a broader audience than we have," he said.