Romney rather to focus on the Future,then debate the Past

(GOP12). Wolf Blitzer asks Mitt Romney about Mike Huckabee's slam of Massachusetts' health care program in his speech at today's Values Voter Summit.

BLITZER: He [Huckabee] sounds like he's going after you personally, because of what you did as Governor of Massachusetts. Listen to Huckabee.[Video clip of Huck saying health care plan bankrupted Massachusetts, and that the only inexpensive thing about it are $50 abortions]

BLITZER: Wow, that's a pretty strong statement from a Republican basically going after a fellow Republican.

ROMNEY: Well, first of all. I agree on abortion. But the abortion decision was made by the courts. There was nothing in our bill in terms of health care reform that dealt with abortion.

BLITZER: But did your health care legislation, your program in Massachusetts bankrupt the state?

ROMNEY: Of course not. The program in Massachusetts is working well. The cost is precisely in line with what was forecasted by the conference committee. It cost the state a little over 1% of the state budget, and we have 98% of our citizens covered...

BLITZER: ... so you're satisfied with the way it's working?

ROMNEY: It's not perfect. And we can learns lessons from it. The key lessons are these: you can get everybody insured without a government option and without having to break the bank.

BLITZER: So what are you saying to the former Governor of Arkansas?

ROMNEY: Well, I'm saying to the American people "Come look at Massachusetts, learn what worked and what didn't. And what worked is: you don't have to have government takeover of health care to get people insured, and you don't have to have an expensive back-breaking tax increase to do it.

[Later]BLITZER: ... so you're ready to debate him on the value of the Massachusetts...

ROMNEY: ... I'm not talking debates yet.

[Later]BLITZER: Political pundits, based on what Huckabee said today, are already suggesting, you know what, he's thinking about 2012, you might be thinking about 2012. There could be a little rivalry going on for the Republican Presidential nomination.

ROMNEY: I'm actually thinking about this year.