Rupert Murdoch dismissed Mitt Romney's worthiness as presidential timber by saying that the 2012 Republican nominee had been "a terrible candidate" and implying that his time had passed, according to
Politico.
Murdoch offered thumbnail reactions to various possible GOP presidential candidates in a conversation with Judith Miller on Wednesday at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, a conservative-leaning think tank.
Miller is a senior fellow at the institute and a Fox News analyst.
"I rather agree with the
[Wall Street] Journal this morning, which sort of lacerated Romney," Murdoch said. "He had his chance, he mishandled it, you know? I thought Romney was a terrible candidate."
He said Romney had won the 2012 nomination "by destroying every other Republican with his own money," then failed to turn aside the characterization that he was too "super rich" to be president.
Murdoch said he didn't yet have a favorite candidate for 2016 and that the field "will be a big and lively" one.
His warmest comments of the evening were reserved for former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, whom he said he liked "very much," Politico reported.
Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul is someone Murdoch also likes "very much." He had nice things to say about Paul's impressive intellect and his critique of Washington as "too big."
"I think he will do well enough to move the debate," Murdoch said.
That said,
Paul's non-interventionist foreign policy approach troubles Murdoch and is "frankly a major issue."
"I don't think he will win," Murdoch added. "I would be very surprised if he won the nomination."
He said he would not write off New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie "at all," and that "we will just see how he handles himself."
While questioning Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's allure, he said Walker would make for "an interesting" presidential candidate.
He had only this to say about Texas Sen. Ted Cruz: "I've met [him], quite an experience."
Continuing after laughter from the audience, Murdoch said, "He's smart [but there's] a record of very questionable political judgment, so we will see."
Murdoch, now 83, began building his media empire in 1954. Today his News Corp includes the Daily Mirror, The Australian, The Sun, The Times of London, the Sunday Times, the New York Post, and The Wall Street Journal.
The billionaire media magnate also owns 21st Century Fox and Fox News Channel, as well as the National Geographic Channel.
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