Stratham, June 3: US politician Mitt Romney formally launched his 2012 presidential campaign on Thursday, entering the race for the Republican nomination in which he is seen as the front-runner, but also considered highly vulnerable.
The former Massachusetts governor officially announced his White House run, and gave a blistering critique of US President Barack Obama, saying he had failed the United States, and that he was pitching himself as an alternative who could fix the nation's ailing economy.
He said Obama had failed to carry out commitments he made in the 2008 race.
"Now, in the third year of his four-year term, we have more than promises and slogans to go by. Barack Obama has failed America," Romney said.
Romney said he would rein in Washington spending and put the country on a course towards economic recovery.
He made his announcement in the state of New Hampshire, a crucial state for him.
He came in second place in New Hampshire during his 2008 presidential bid and has invested heavily in the state since.
Romney also visited a farm in the state, where he said his first priority would be to make America the world's top job creator.
His pitch was tailored to the conservatives who hold great sway in picking the Republican Party's presidential nominee in Iowa and South Carolina, and the independents who are the largest political bloc in New Hampshire.
And it is as much a thesis on his viability as it is an indictment of Obama's leadership.
In the speech, the former Massachusetts governor launched into a scathing critique of Washington, a place where he has never served.
Romney comes to a presidential contest that lacks a front-runner.
On Friday, Romney has scheduled his first town hall meeting for Manchester and later planned to speak at a Faith and Freedom forum in Washington. AP
