Sununu to Obama: Learn to be American

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WASHINGTON, July 17 (UPI) -- Former New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu Tuesday called on President Obama to "learn to be an American."

Sununu, in a political campaign conference call on behalf of presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, said Obama cut his political teeth in the "political-slash-felon environment" of Chicago, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Sununu said Obama has "clearly demonstrated that he has absolutely no idea how the American economy functions. The men and women all over America who have worked hard to build these businesses -- their businesses, from the ground up -- is how our economy became the envy of the world. ...

"It is the American way, and I wish this president would learn how to be an American."

Sununu characterized some of Obama's remarks about business as "dumb," accusing him of cronyism -- rewarding donors and friends with government contracts.

"He comes out of that murky political world in Chicago where politician and felon have become synonymous," Sununu said.

The Obama campaign issued the statement accusing the Romney campaign of going "off the deep end" to "avoid answering serious questions about Romney's tenure at Bain Capital and investments in foreign tax havens and offshore accounts."

Watch Romney surrogate and former presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty expands on Sununu's comments in an interview with NBC's Andrea Mitchell (starting at 4:11).