Mitt Romney opposes debt ceiling compromise

After weeks of refusing to take a stance on the debt talks, Mitt Romney declared Monday that he's opposed to the debt ceiling compromise hammered out by President Obama and congressional leaders over the weekend.

In a statement issued just hours before Congress is expected to vote on the plan, Romney slammed Obama's leadership and said he can't support the bill.

"As president, my plan would have produced a budget that was cut, capped and balanced--not one that opens the door to higher taxes and puts defense cuts on the table," Romney said. "President Obama's leadership failure has pushed the economy to the brink at the eleventh hour and 59th minute. While I appreciate the extraordinarily difficult situation President Obama's lack of leadership has placed Republican Members of Congress in, I personally cannot support this deal."

Romney's statement comes after a week in which he repeatedly declined to weigh in on the debt debate--a stance that prompted criticism from 2012 rival Jon Huntsman, who suggested Romney wasn't showing leadership on the issue.

The former Massachusetts governor's opposition puts him in line with Michele Bachmann and Ron Paul, who have announced their opposition to the compromise. Tim Pawlenty, who opposed the plan floated by House Speaker John Boehner last week, told Politico through a spokesman that the compromise is "nothing to celebrate."

Huntsman, in a statement, says the deal is not his "preferred outcome" but still called it a "step forward." Meanwhile, potential 2012 hopeful Rick Perry, who declined to say how he felt about the Boehner plan last week, refused to say whether he thinks Congress should support the compromise, per the Austin American Stateman's Jason Embry.