News roundup: Romney faces the John Kerry treatment

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Conservatives to Romney: Be more specific. Hatch protests waivers. 55 days to the election.

Happy Wednesday. After feeling the heat from critics of his military-barren convention acceptance speech, Mitt Romney made sure to thank the nation's armed forces as he spoke before members of the National Guard yesterday. [NYTimes]

-> It seems that Romney is receiving the same criticism from the left as John Kerry did from the right in 2004. [Politico]

Topping the news: Sen. Orrin Hatch leads Republicans to force congressional votes in an effort to stop states from acquiring waivers for certain welfare rules from the federal government, allowances he insists should have stemmed from congressional debate. [Trib] [WSJ]

-> Romney started yesterday with a call for civility and ends the day with the most blistering attack on Obama to date. [BuzzFeed]

-> Utah auditors call for a criminal probe into the former bosses over the state's liquor agency. [Trib]

Story voted most likely to be emailed today: Now that the LDS Church has affirmed that caffeinated sodas are OK, BYU students are pushing to finally bring them to campus. [Trib]

Happy birthday: To The Trib's Heather May.

Tweet of the day: from @CarrieNBCNews: "Today = classic Biden. Deliver tear-jerking, bare-souled speech on grief in the AM. Explode Buzzfeed with hot dog jokes in the PM."

In other news: Salt Lake County is financially supporting two development projects, transforming 960 acres of wasteland into an industrial park and designating a local gas manufacturer as a community development area. [Trib]

-> The ACLU of Utah is challenging a Brigham City ordinance that it says infringes on the rights of a church to pass out literature during the opening of a new LDS temple there. [Trib]

-> Utah's first Sept. 11 memorial opened yesterday in Kaysville. [ABC4] [Fox13]

-> Utah Senate President Mike Waddoups suggested that the Utah Department of Environmental Quality be dissolved after a pair of audits found that Class C waste has been improperly buried in Tooele County. [Trib]

-> Those interested in giving input on Salt Lake City's planned performance arts center are welcome to do so on Sept. 13 on the fourth floor of the Main Library from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. [Trib]

-> AG Mark Shurtleff argues that shows like 12 Angry Men fictionalize what really happens with juries. [UtahPolicy]

-> State Sen. John Valentine offers some history on the state Senate's judicial confirmation process. [UtahPolicy]

-> Paul Rolly notes that a man dubbed the Fort Union "mayor" is finally getting some recognition for all his work. [Trib]

-> Pat Bagley offers his take on the United States difficult spot between Israel and Iran. [Trib]

-> The Democratic Super PAC American Bridge 21st Century has launched a website attacking congressional candidate Mia Love for her record and plans. [StuffMiaLoves.com]

2012 watch: According to some conservatives, piggybacking on Obama's failings won't be enough for Romney if he isn't willing to divulge more agenda specifics. [CBSNews] [Politico]

-> Former President Bill Clinton comes to Obama's aid in critical swing states. [Guardian] [NYTimes]

-> A recent Rasmussen poll shows that 47 percent of Americans trust Obama more to create jobs, while 45 percent trust Romney. [WeeklyStandard]

-> Southern whites find Romney's wealth and religion a couple of hard pills to swallow. [ChiTrib]

-> On the other side, this election has historic significances for black Mormons. [KSL]

-> Vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan launches $2 million worth of TV ads this week for the Wisconsin House seat he is also still running for. [WaPost] [USAToday]

-> In a Monday night statement, former Vice President Dick Cheney bashes Obama for taking credit for Osama bin Laden's death and inconsistently attending daily intelligence meetings. [DailyCaller]

-> Romney recounts two conflicting Sept. 11, 2001 experiences. [BuzzFeed]

-> The Washington Post cites 10 things that should be taken from a recent Post/ABC poll. [WaPost]

Where are they?

Rep. Jason Chaffetz hosts a morning fundraiser before conducting a hearing on a scandal at Dawood Hospital in Afghanistan.

Gov. Gary Herbert attends the annual Judicial Conference and the Edwards Lifesciences reception.

Lt. Gov. Greg Bell speaks at the American Water Works Association and stops by Walmart's 50th anniversary celebration.

SL Co. Mayor Peter Corroon meets with the Criminal Justice Advisory Council and the Utah Association of Counties legislative panel.

SLC Mayor Ralph Becker attends the Utah League of Cities and Towns convention before meeting with community liaisons.

WVC Mayor Mike Winder also attends the annual Utah League of Cities convention.

President Barack Obama campaigns in Las Vegas.

Got a tip? A birthday, wedding or anniversary to announce? Email us at cornflakes@sltrib.com. If you haven't already, sign up for our weekday email and get this sent directly to you inbox. [Trib]

— Thomas Burr and Betsy BlanchardTwitter.com/thomaswburr and Twitter.com/betsyblanchard