Brownback Writes of 'Hatred' of Clintons

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney talks with reporters gathered at a news conference in Coraopolis. Pa., before attending a private fundraiser in Pittsburgh, Thursday, June 28, 2007. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic) (Keith Srakocic - AP)

Now the story, recounted this week in a Boston Globe profile of Romney, has touched off protests from bloggers and animal rights activists even though it was presented in the story as an example of Romney's coolness under trying circumstances.

When Romney's eldest son, Tagg, and his four brothers complained about the brown runoff down the back windshield, their father quietly pulled the car over, borrowed a gas station hose and sprayed down both the dog and the kennel before returning to the road.

"Massachusetts animal cruelty laws specifically prohibit anyone from carrying an animal `in or upon a vehicle, or otherwise, in an unnecessarily cruel or inhuman manner or in a way and manner which might endanger the animal carried thereon,'" wrote Steve Benen in a post on the blog "Crooks and Liars."

Ingrid Newkirk, president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, told Time magazine's "Swampland" blog: "If you wouldn't strap your child to the roof of your car, you have no business doing that to the family dog!"

Romney dismissed any outcry about the 24-year-old incident, saying the dog enjoyed his rooftop perch.

"He scrambled up there every time we went on trips," Romney said at a campaign stop in Pittsburgh Thursday. "He got it all by himself and enjoyed it."

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CHICAGO (AP) _ Republican presidential hopeful John McCain, backer of an immigration bill, said Friday that its collapse in the Senate was a difficult experience.

The Arizona senator said he regrets lawmakers weren't able to legalize millions of undocumented immigrants and fortify the border. McCain was in Chicago for fundraisers.

"It was a very tough and bruising experience and so I obviously regret we were unable to succeed, and I worry about the fact that we now have still the status quo," McCain said. "Twelve million people in our country, we don't know where they are and what they're doing. So by blocking action we have now silent amnesty, and that's unfortunate."

Meanwhile, in Florida, the Republican Party chairman challenged those who opposed the bill to come up with a solution beyond just building a fence on the border.

"The voices of negativity now have a responsibility to come up with an answer," Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., said at a gathering of more than 1,000 Hispanic officials.