Romney staffer denies campaign disarray

                                                                           (Image Credit: Charles Dharapak/AP Photo)

A top strategist for Mitt Romney confirmed Sunday night that “speeches go through lots of processes and editing” after Politico first reported there were competing versions of Romney’s Tampa, Fla., convention speech.  The speech Romney ultimately delivered was criticized for failing to mention Afghanistan.

Stuart Stevens has been one of Romney’s closest advisers and is the person – besides Romney – most responsible for many aspects of the  campaign’s direction and message.

Much of Romney’s inner circle has been with the former Massachusetts governor for years. Stevens, who has had side trips as an author and auteur, worked for both Bush campaigns and Romney in 2008. He oversees speech-writing and ads for the campaign.

A detailed report in Politico Sunday also painted Stevens as the subject of frustration among Romney staffers after the candidate failed to receive much of a bounce in polls after his convention. Some conservatives outside the campaign, including columnists like George Will and radio-show hosts like Laura Ingraham, have questioned the direction of the campaign and its larger message, crafted by Stevens.

Romney has shied away from specific proposals for what he would do and instead made President Obama and the economy the laser-like focus of his campaign.

Read Politico’s report here.

Stevens, it turns out, was largely responsible for Romney’s speech, as Politico first reported. He called for a re-write days before it was to be given and called in new writers who reportedly had never met with the candidate.

When ABC News asked Stevens whether he would put Afghanistan back in the speech if given a do-over, he said, “I just don’t think that way.  I don’t think it would matter one vote.”

Stevens also stands by the campaign’s decision to have Clint Eastwood take the stage, and isn’t concerned whether that was a defining moment of the convention last month.

“Listen, I think Clint Eastwood, having Eastwood on your side and what he said about the president is incredibly powerful. He came out and gave a strong stance, and I think it was great,” Stevens said, “We’re talking about this when the Democrats had a floor fight over God?  Give me a break.”

Stevens also brushed off the criticism from conservatives outside the campaign, including Ingraham, who said this should have been a “gimme election,” given the economy and unemployment rate.

“It’s just not how politics works,” he said. “I never get mad at people who criticize.  I love her passion.”

Stevens argued that the Romney campaign is on track and that Obama’s post-convention bounce of 7 points in the Gallup Daily Tracking poll has already evaporated to 3 points.

“The president had a terrible week last week,” said Stevens, pointing to continued images of unrest and the events in Libya.

“If anybody turned on the TV and feels better about the president after last week,” he said, “I’d be surprised to hear it.”

Get more pure politics at ABC News.com/Politics and a lighter take on the news at OTUSNews.com

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Schwarzenegger reveals he had child with staffer

  LOS ANGELES -- Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has acknowledged that he fathered a child with a member of his household staff, a revelation that apparently prompted wife Maria Shriver to leave the couple's home before they announced their separation last week.

Schwarzenegger and Shriver jointly announced May 9 that they were splitting up after 25 years of marriage. Yet, Shriver moved out of the family's Brentwood mansion earlier in the year after Schwarzenegger acknowledged the child is his, The Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday.

"After leaving the governor's office I told my wife about this event, which occurred over a decade ago," Schwarzenegger told the Times in a statement that was later sent to The Associated Press. "I understand and deserve the feelings of anger and disappointment among my friends and family. There are no excuses and I take full responsibility for the hurt I have caused. I have apologized to Maria, my children and my family. I am truly sorry. "I ask that the media respect my wife and children through this extremely difficult time," the statement concluded. "While I deserve your attention and criticism, my family does not."

Hours later, Shriver also released a statement: "This is a painful and heartbreaking time. As a mother, my concern is for the children. I ask for compassion, respect and privacy as my children and I try to rebuild our lives and heal. I will have no further comment."

Schwarzenegger's representatives also did not comment further.

The Times did not publish the former staffer's name nor that of her child but said the woman worked for the family for 20 years and retired in January.

Schwarzenegger issued his statement to the Times late Monday, after the newspaper had interviewed the former staffer. She had told the Times that another man - her husband at the time - was the child's father. When the Times later informed the woman of the governor's statement, she declined to comment further.

Schwarzenegger later released the statement to The Associated Press and other news organizations.

The child was born before Schwarzenegger began his seven-year stint in public office.

Shriver stood by her husband during his 2003 gubernatorial campaign after the Los Angeles Times reported accusations that he had a history of groping women. Schwarzenegger later said he "behaved badly sometimes."

In his first public comments since the couple announced their breakup, Schwarzenegger said last week that he and Shriver "both love each other very much."

"We are very fortunate that we have four extraordinary children and we're taking one day at a time," he said at a Los Angeles event marking Israeli independence. Their children range in age from 13 to 21.

Since his term as California governor ended in early January, Schwarzenegger, 63, has hopscotched around the world, his wife nowhere in sight. While the "Terminator" star appeared confident about the future since exiting politics, cutting movie deals and fashioning himself as a global spokesman for green energy, Shriver, known for her confidence, seemed unsettled.

Shriver, 55, maintained her own identity when her husband entered politics, though she gave up her job at NBC. Their union was often tested in Sacramento, where the former action star contended with a rough seven years of legislative gridlock, a budget crisis and lingering questions about his fidelity.

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