Americans don't need outsourcing pioneers in Oval Office: Obama

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama today attacked his presumptive Republican challenger Mitt Romney for shipping jobs to countries like India and China, saying Americans don't need pioneers of outsourcing in the Oval Office.

Obama said this while referring to a report in 'The Washington Post' that the companies owned by Romney's firms were pioneers in the outsourcing of US jobs to countries like India and China.

"Today, it was reported in The Washington Post that the companies his firm owned were 'pioneers' in the outsourcing of American jobs to places like China and India," he said at an election campaign event at Tampa in Florida.

"...We don't need an outsourcing pioneer in the Oval Office. We need a President who will fight for American jobs and fight for American manufacturing. That's what my plan will do. That's why I am running for a second term as President of the US," Obama said amidst rounds of applause from the cheering audience.

The report threatened to undermine multi-millionaire Romney's claim that his experience as a venture capitalist equips him uniquely to create jobs in America's sagging economic recovery.

Obama's camp quickly capitalised on the report and attacked Romney, accusing him of outsourcing jobs overseas.

"The Washington Post reported this morning that 'Mitt Romney's financial company, Bain Capital, invested in a series of firms that specialised in relocating jobs done by American workers to new facilities in low-wage countries like China and India," wrote Stephanie Cutter, on behalf of Obama Campaign.

On his trip to India in 2010, Obama had said, "...when I go back to the US, a part of the reason that I advertised these 50,000 jobs is I want to be able to say to the American people when they ask me why are you spending time with India when they are taking our jobs."