GOP potential presidential candidate Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who is expected to announce his candidacy next month, attends the Road to Majority 2015 convention, Saturday June 20, 2015, in Washington.... (Associated Press) 
 
 WASHINGTON (AP) — Mitt Romney, the Republican nominee for president in 2012, called for the immediate removal of the Confederate battle flag from outside the South Carolina Statehouse, scrambling the 2016 GOP presidential contenders into staking a position on a contentious cultural issue. 
 
 Some still steered clear from the sensitive debate, even after the shooting deaths of nine people in a historic African-American church in Charleston further exposed the raw emotions about the flying the flag. 
 
 Many see the Confederate flag as "a symbol of racial hatred," Romney tweeted on Saturday. "Remove it now to honor #Charleston victims." 
 
 The former Massachusetts governor joins President Barack Obama and civil rights leaders in calling for the flag to come down as the nation grapples with Wednesday's murders. The man charged with the crimes, Dylann Storm Roof, held the Confederate flag in a photograph on a website and displayed the flags of defeated white-supremacist governments in Africa on his Facebook page. 
 
 Romney's statement prompted most of the Republican Party's leading presidential contenders to weigh in on flying the Confederate battle flag, although few took a definitive position one way or the other. Many instead expressed personal dislike for the flag, but suggested it was up to the people of South Carolina to decide. 
 
 Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said Saturday his position is clear: "In Florida we acted, moving the flag from the state grounds to a museum where it belonged," he said in a statement provided to The Associated Press, referring to his 2001 order to remove the Confederate battle flag from the grounds of the historic Old Capitol building. 
 
 "Following a period of mourning there will rightly be a discussion among leaders in the state about how South Carolina should move forward, and I'm confident they will do the right thing," Bush said. 
 
 Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker declined to offer his position. "I think they're going to have a good, healthy debate — and should have a healthy debate in South Carolina amongst officials at the state level," he told reporters after a speech Saturday night in Washington. "I think out of deference, before we have that discussion, we should allow the families of the loved ones to bury their dead." 
 
 South Carolina was the last state to fly the Confederate battle flag from its Capitol dome. A compromise in 2000 moved the flag to a 30-foot flagpole elsewhere on Statehouse grounds, where it has been flying at full staff. 
 
 The debate holds political risks for Republicans eager to win over South Carolina conservatives who support the display of the battle flag on public grounds. The state will host the nation's third presidential primary contest in February, a critical contest in the 2016 race. 
 
 South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of four Republican senators running for president, told CNN he's open to revisiting the decision to use the flag, but it "is a part of who we are." 
 
 Former technology executive Carly Fiorina said Saturday she agrees the flag is a "symbol of racial hatred" yet declined to call for its removal, saying her "personal opinion is not what's relevant here." 
 
 Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said the last thing the people of South Carolina need is "people from outside of the state coming in and dictating how they should resolve it," Cruz said in a statement provided to The Associated Press. 
 
 He said he understands both sides of the debate — including those who see the flag as a symbol of "racial oppression and a history of slavery" and "those who want to remember the sacrifices of their ancestors and the traditions of their states — not the racial oppression, but the historical traditions." 
 
 Ohio Gov. John Kasich said it's ultimately "up to the people of South Carolina to decide, but if I were a citizen of South Carolina I'd be for taking it down." 
 
 Spokesmen for most of the other Republican presidential contenders also either ignored such questions or formally declined to comment. They include Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, businessman Donald Trump and Sens. Rand Paul and Marco Rubio. 
 
 Democrats have been more willing to offer their opinions. 
 
 A White House spokesman said Friday that Obama continues to believe the flag belongs in a museum. Democratic presidential contender Hillary Rodham Clinton has yet to address the issue this week, but in 2007 called for the flag's removal, in part because the nation should unite under one banner while at war. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Associated Press writers Jill Colvin in Philadelphia and Lisa Lerer in Washington contributed to this report. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Follow Steve Peoples on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/sppeoples 
 
 ___ 
 
 This story has been corrected to show that the controversy is over the Confederate battle flag, not the Confederate Stars and Bars. ||||| Mitt Romney, photographed in Davenport, Iowa, on Oct. 29, 2012. (Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty) 
 
 This post has been updated. 
 
 Mitt Romney, the Republican Party's 2012 presidential nominee, strongly condemned the flying of the Confederate flag on the grounds of the South Carolina state capitol on Saturday, prompting current GOP candidates to weigh in on a subject controversial across the "First in the South" primary state. 
 
 Romney's comments repeating his longtime position came in the wake of a shooting that left nine people dead Wednesday night at a historic black church in Charleston, S.C. Authorities were working on Saturday to determine whether the man accused of killing the nine African Americans attending a church Bible study was the author of a racist manifesto targeting blacks, Jews and Hispanics that was found on a Web site as part of an ongoing investigation. 
 
 In the wake of the shootings, critics have denounced South Carolina leaders for failing to lower to half staff a Confederate flag flying on State Capitol grounds -- and for its placement near the Capitol at all. The flag has flown atop or next to the Capitol in Columbia, S.C., since 1962. It was removed from atop the Capitol dome in 2000 and now flies at a Civil War memorial next to the Capitol. 
 
 On Saturday, Romney took to Twitter to call the flag "a symbol of racial hatred" and said it should be removed as a tribute to the victims of the shooting. 
 
 Take down the #ConfederateFlag at the SC Capitol. To many, it is a symbol of racial hatred. Remove it now to honor #Charleston victims. — Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) June 20, 2015 
 
 Romney first weighed in on the flag as a Republican presidential candidate in 2007, when he said "That's not a flag I recognize." 
 
 "That flag, frankly, is divisive, and it shouldn't be shown," he said during a debate sponsored by CNN. 
 
 The comments sparked outrage among some South Carolina conservatives, a key voting bloc in the Palmetto State. In protest, a group called the Americans for the Preservation of American Culture ran several radio ads attacking Romney for not supporting the state's heritage. Ultimately, Romney placed fourth in the South Carolina primary. 
 
 But Romney restated his opposition to the flag in 2012, when he won the GOP nomination. While he took a pass on running for president yet again in 2016, Rommey remains a widely influential figure in the Republican Party. He hosted a summit for former top donors two weeks ago that was attended by several presidential candidates or their representatives. 
 
 His comments Saturday came amid the struggle by several candidates to articulate whether or not the flag should remain in place -- and whether the motives of the church shooter were racist. 
 
 Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who is expected to launch a presidential campaign soon, said in a statement Saturday that the flag issue "is up to the people of South Carolina to decide, but if I were a citizen of South Carolina I'd be for taking it down." 
 
 Former Florida governor Jeb Bush said in a statement that "My position on how to address the Confederate flag is clear. In Florida we acted, moving the flag from the state grounds to a museum where it belonged." 
 
 In 2001, Bush ordered the removal of the Confederate flag from the Florida State Capitol, where it had flown since 1978. 
 
 But Bush's statement didn't explicitly call on South Carolina to do the same: "This is obviously a very sensitive time in South Carolina and our prayers are with the families, the AME church community and the entire state. Following a period of mourning there will rightly be a discussion among leaders in the state about how South Carolina should move forward, and I'm confident they will do the right thing." 
 
 Late Friday, Bush told a Tampa Republican fundraiser that "It breaks my heart that somebody, a racist, would do the things he did" in Charleston. 
 
 In Miami, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said Saturday that it is up to the people of South Carolina, not "outsiders," to decide whether to remove the Confederate flag. 
 
 "This is an issue that they should debate and work through and not have a bunch of outsiders going in and telling them what to do," he told reporters. 
 
 In his most expansive remarks on the deadly mass shooting, Rubio said the white man charged with the killings "carried out an act motivated by racial hatred." 
 
 "It's an atrocity. It's a horrifying instance," he added. 
 
 Rubio said he now supports Bush's decision to remove the Confederate flag from the Florida capitol and place it in a museum. But as a state legislator, Rubio co-sponsored a war monuments preservation bill that would have preserved the Confederate flag's placement on Capitol grounds. 
 
 Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), in an interview with The Washington Post, said Saturday that decisions about the flag are for South Carolina to decide, but that he understands "both sides" of the debate. 
 
 “Both those who see a history of racial oppression and a history of slavery, which is the original sin of our nation, and we fought a bloody civil war to expunge that sin," he said while campaigning in Iowa. 
 
 But, he added: "I also understand those who want to remember the sacrifices of their ancestors and the traditions of their states, not the racial oppression, but the historical traditions and I think often this issue is used as a wedge to try to divide people." 
 
 In Philadelphia, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who is poised to launch a GOP presidential campaign, began a speech on Saturday by asking for a moment of silence in memory "of those nine lives" killed in Charleston. As he watched media coverage from South Carolina, he said he was struck by how many "family and friends were already talking about forgiveness." 
 
 Later in a statement, Walker said that "The horrific crime committed on Wednesday in Charleston was done by a racist and evil man. I condemn both his acts and his beliefs." 
 
 He added later that "The placement of a Confederate flag on the Capitol grounds is a state issue and I fully expect the leaders of South Carolina to debate this but the conversation should wait until after the families have had a chance to bury and mourn their loved ones." 
 
 Carly Fiorina, the former corporate executive also running for president, didn't mention the shooting during a 20-minute speech Saturday at a Faith and Freedom Coalition conference in Washington. Asked about Romney's comments after her speech, she told reporters "personally I agree with him but I believe it's up to the people of South Carolina." 
 
 A spokesman for Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said he had no comment. 
 
 On Friday, former Texas governor Rick Perry referred to the shooting as an "accident" -- with campaign aides quickly saying that he meant "incident." His slip of the tongue in an interview sparked a social media backlash and immediately invited comparisons to his so-called "oops" moment during a 2011 debate, when he couldn't remember the three federal agencies he wanted to eliminate as president. 
 
 Perry said during the interview with Newsmax that he would be open to taking down the flag in South Carolina, saying "maybe there's a good conversation that needs to be had." 
 
 But Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), who is also a GOP presidential candidate, dismissed questions about removing the flag when asked on Friday, telling CNN that "We're not going to give this a guy an excuse about a book he might have read or a movie he watched or a song he listened to or a symbol out anywhere. It's him ... not the flag." 
 
 The senator said in a statement Saturday that "There can be no doubt" that the shooting was racially motivated. 
 
 "At an appropriate time, we will move forward to have a discussion on a variety of fronts about what will make us stronger as a nation and what solutions need to be found to achieve that goal. But now, please join me in continuing to pray for the victims, for the citizens of Charleston, of my home state, and of our nation." 
 
 Jenna Johnson in Philadelphia; Sean Sullivan in Miami; Vanessa Williams in Washington; Katie Zezima in Johnston, Iowa; and Patrick Svitek of the Texas Tribune contributed to this report. ||||| Fourteen Republicans running for President did their best to nail the job interview during the “Voters First Forum” Monday night.Each cast themselves as the most qualified candidate to grow the economy, protect the nation and fulfill the promise of America.The candidates took turns answering questions about pressing domestic and foreign policy issues. They criticized the Iran nuclear deal, funding for Planned Parenthood, and the Affordable Care Act.“Obamacare has been a manifest disaster,” Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said.Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, and former New York Gov. George Pataki were among those calling for a more limited federal bureaucracy.Each sought to stand out in the crowded field during the forum at Saint Anselm College.Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker touted himself as a proven leader, based in part on winning three elections in four years. “I’m a new, fresh face,” he said.“I’m a different kind of Republican,” said Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, calling himself a constitutional conservative who would do what it takes to defend the nation and protect liberties.Dr. Ben Carson and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina underscored their status as Washington outsiders.Carson said “Obamacare” should be repealed in favor of a system that empowers consumers and gives them flexibility and choice. He touted the value of health savings accounts.Carly Fiorina also took aim at Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton. “We need a nominee on our side who is going to throw every punch,” she said.Ohio Gov. John Kasich called for eliminating “sanctuary cities” for illegal immigrants. He said his No. 1 priority is balancing the budget to foster economic growth.Kasich, a former congressman, noted he had a deep grasp of national security issues.South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham promised a muscular foreign policy. He described his policy as a global leader as “a clenched fist or an open hand: you choose.”Rick Santorum touted his work on welfare reform as a former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania. Creating a better economic climate will help give incentives for people to work, he said.Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said Washington needs to be more frugal.“We have a bunch of math deniers in both parties,” Jindal said about the need for fiscal belt-tightening.Florida Sen. Marco Rubio said 2016 is a pivotal time to address economic insecurity to ensure that future generations can achieve the American Dream.Perry said immigration reform must begin by securing the border. He, along with other current and past governors, boasted of gubernatorial successes.Walker said steps to protect the environment need to be balanced with economic concerns.“It’d be like a buzz saw to America’s economy,” he said of President Barack Obama’s clean power policies.“I think we’ve let our guard down a little bit,” Bush responded, when asked if the U.S. is doing enough to prevent another terrorist attack.N.J. Gov. Chris Christie said America must keep its promises to veterans for timely health care, even if it is an insurance card that allows them to get care wherever they want.Christie also called for treatment of drug abuse, in the face of the heroin scourge in New Hampshire and around the country.“The war on drugs has been a failure. Well-intentioned, but a failure,” Christie said.Cruz called the Iran nuclear deal a “catastrophic deal,” which would flow money into Iran, and on to terrorist organizations.Christie, Pataki and Walker pointed to accomplishments they have made while working in “blue states.”The first-in-the-nation primary event — the first of its kind during an election season with a slew of big-name candidates — aimed at giving all of the major candidates prime-time exposure.The New Hampshire Union Leader, a co-sponsor, first announced the forum following the Fox News decision that its debate criteria for the first televised debate Thursday would be limited to the top 10 candidates based on national polls.The two-hour forum was live on C-SPAN, and broadcast in New Hampshire on WMUR, NH1, NECN, WGIR and NHPR. WGIR’s Jack Heath served as moderator, with candidates joining him one at a time.Co-sponsors included media partners in Iowa, which holds the first caucuses, and in South Carolina, which holds the “First in the South” primary.The 14 participating candidates were: former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Dr. Ben Carson, N.J. Gov. Chris Christie, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, former N.Y. George Pataki, Sen. Rand Paul, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.Cruz, Paul and Rubio participated via satellite link from Washington, where the three were present for a vote in the U.S. Senate to defund Planned Parenthood.Billionaire real estate mogul Donald J. Trump declined to participate. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee did not respond to an invitation to the event. Former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore, who just announced to become the 17th Republican candidate, did not make the deadline to confirm participation.dtuohy@unionleader.com ||||| House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) said he wants lawmakers to address the issue of the Confederate flag in a bipartisan manner. (Speaker.gov) 
 
 House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) said he wants lawmakers to address the issue of the Confederate flag in a bipartisan manner. (Speaker.gov) 
 
 Three weeks after a racially motivated massacre in a black church in Charleston, S.C., the Confederate battle flag will no longer fly on the grounds of the South Carolina State House, following a bitter debate over its role as a symbol of racism and hate. 
 
 The shooting that left nine dead at Emanuel AME Church and subsequent images of the alleged gunman holding the battle flag set off a national debate about the flag’s meaning and history. On Thursday, Gov. Nikki Haley (R) signed legislation to remove the flag, which has flown over the capitol’s dome or on its grounds since 1961. 
 
 The furor over the flag rippled through the halls of Congress on Thursday when House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) called for a review of Confederate symbols and memorabilia, which is likely to include those on display in the Capitol. 
 
 Boehner was forced to halt consideration of a government funding measure after it became engulfed by the Confederate flag controversy and whether it was appropriate to display the flags at national cemeteries where Confederate soldiers are buried. 
 
 The dispute pitted Southern conservatives who asserted that the tradition was part of their heritage against members of the Congressional Black Caucus who view the flag as a symbol of slavery and oppression. 
 
 1 of 51 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad × The Confederate flag on display, from 1938 to today View Photos Public moments featuring the Confederate flag. Caption Public moments featuring the Confederate flag. June 21, 2015 A Confederate flag is reflected in the window of a gift shop that sells them in Seligman, Ariz. Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post Buy Photo Wait 1 second to continue. 
 
 The heated tone on Capitol Hill stood in contrast to the jubilant, bipartisan scene nearly 500 miles to the south, in Columbia, S.C. There, flanked by Democratic and Republican leaders past and present, Haley declared it a “great day” for the state. 
 
 “This is a story about the history of South Carolina. And how the action of nine individuals laid out this long chain of events that forever showed the state of South Carolina what love and forgiveness looks like,” she said, referring to the victims’ relatives who spoke at suspect Dylann Roof’s bond hearing. 
 
 The flag was scheduled to be lowered at 10 a.m. Friday and moved to a state museum for display. 
 
 On Thursday, the NCAA lifted a ban enacted in 2000 that has prevented the state from being considered to host championship games, and the NAACP said it will stop calling for a tourism and travel boycott of the state. 
 
 Lawmakers in the state House of Representatives slogged through more than 13 hours of debate Wednesday night and Thursday morning, at times becoming deeply emotional and tense. Efforts by Republicans to amend the bill threatened to derail the legislative process. 
 
 Both sides agreed to a compromise that allowed the bill to move forward without any ­changes. Just after 1 a.m. Thursday, lawmakers voted 94 to 20 in favor of the flag’s removal. Earlier in the week, the Senate swiftly debated the same proposal and overwhelmingly approved it. 
 
 As those final hours transpired, congressional Republicans stumbled into the heated flag debate through a series of miscalculations. That began with their decision late Wednesday to allow a House vote on an amendment that would have reaffirmed the ability to place the Confederate flag in national cemeteries as part of a once-a-year tradition in the Deep South. 
 
 House Democrats accused Republicans of catering to the large and powerful Southern conservative bloc. Republicans accused Democrats of trying to exploit the tragedy of the killings in Charleston and the decision by South Carolina lawmakers to remove the flag from the capitol. 
 
 Boehner tried to tamp down the dispute by announcing that he would create an informal bipartisan group to review all matters related to the display of Confederate memorabilia. He pulled the overall legislation, which would provide annual funds for the Interior Department, rather than hold a vote on the Confederate flag amendment. 
 
 That vote was originally set for late Thursday afternoon, nearly the exact time Haley signed legislation removing the flag. 
 
 [South Carolina governor signs bill removing Confederate flag from State House grounds] 
 
 Republicans leaders have tried to move beyond the old fights over the Confederate flag in the aftermath of the slaying of nine African-Americans inside the historic Charleston church. Boehner was among national Republican leaders who embraced Haley’s role in removing the flag, and he pointedly said Thursday that he did not believe Confederate flags should be displayed in national cemeteries. 
 
 [In liberal Alexandria, Va., the Confederate flag still flies twice a year] 
 
 “Listen, we all witnessed the people of Charleston and the people of South Carolina come together in a respectful way to deal with, frankly, what was a very horrific crime and a difficult issue with the Confederate flag,” Boehner told reporters. “I actually think it’s time for some adults here in the Congress to actually sit down and have a conversation about how to address this issue. I do not want this to become some political football.” 
 
 [Democrats increasingly think the Confederate flag is racist. Republicans don’t.] 
 
 Democrats responded by reintroducing a resolutionthat would have mandated the removal of Mississippi’s state flag from display on U.S. Capitol grounds because its design incorporates the Confederate battle flag. That resolution, offered by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), was tabled on a mostly partisan vote that referred it to a committee. 
 
 Other Democrats have called for the removal of statues of Jefferson Davis and other Confederate leaders that are prominently displayed in the Capitol. In floor speeches throughout the day, Democrats stood in front of an image of the Confederate flag on the House floor. 
 
 “The red in this flag is a painful reminder of the blood that was shed by African American slaves,” said Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), a member of the Congressional Black Caucus. 
 
 Southern Republicans said that their Democratic colleagues did not understand that they were trying to pay tribute to fallen Confederate soldiers who were not plantation owners. 
 
 “The majority of people that actually died in the Civil War on the Confederate side didn’t own slaves. These were people that were fighting for their states, and, you know, I don’t think they even had any thoughts about slavery,” said Rep. Lynn A. Westmoreland (R-Ga.). 
 
 He rejected the position of Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), a leader in the civil rights movement, who called the flag a symbol of oppression. 
 
 “Does he understand where I’m coming from?” Westmoreland said. “Well, if I believe it comes from heritage, does he understand where I’m coming from?” 
 
 The flag dispute in cemeteries mostly applies to two in the Deep South — the national cemeteries in Vicksburg, Miss., and Andersonville, Ga., where Union and Confederate soldiers are buried. Once a year, on Confederate Memorial Day, volunteers traditionally place the Confederate flag on the graves of rebel soldiers. 
 
 Haley’s signature concluded a more-than-15-year effort to deal with the issue in South Carolina. The flag will become “an object of moral introspection,” said NAACP President Cornell Brooks, “not a symbol of exclusion, bigotry, bias and hate.” 
 
 “The flag should be studied, the flag should not be honored,” he said, noting that the organization will move swiftly to end its boycott.
– Mitt Romney has long been vocal about his distaste for the Confederate flag flying on South Carolina Capitol grounds, saying in a 2007 presidential debate, "That's not a flag I recognize. That flag, frankly, is divisive, and it shouldn't be shown." He refueled that fire Saturday when he tweeted in response to the Charleston church shootings, writing, "Take down the #ConfederateFlag at the SC Capitol. To many, it is a symbol of racial hatred. Remove it now to honor #Charleston victims." Other Republican POTUS contenders are now offering their own take, per the AP and the Washington Post.: South Carolina's own Sen. Lindsey Graham insists the flag "is a part of who we are" and that we shouldn't be blaming what happened in Charleston on it: "We're not going to give this a guy an excuse … . It's him … not the flag." Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush says via a statement, "In Florida we acted, moving the flag from the state grounds to a museum where it belonged," but "following a period of mourning there will rightly be a discussion among leaders in the state about how South Carolina should move forward, and I'm confident they will do the right thing." One person who wants to table the discussion: Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who says, "I fully expect the leaders of South Carolina to debate this, but the conversation should wait until after the families have had a chance to bury and mourn their loved ones." Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is trying to see both sides, saying he understands "those who see a history of racial oppression and a history of slavery" embedded in the flag, but that he also gets "those who want to remember the sacrifices of their ancestors and the traditions of their states, not the racial oppression." Sen. Marco Rubio, businesswoman Carly Fiorina, and expected presidential candidate Ohio Gov. John Kasich are taking a non-interventionist approach (though Fiorina and Kasich say they agree personally with taking the flag down), stating it's up to the people of South Carolina to decide what to do—not "outsiders," as Rubio puts it. Still silent on the matter: Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, ex-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Sen. Rand Paul, and the latest GOP contender, a surprisingly quiet Donald Trump.