Reno, Nevada (CNN) - Keeping up his sharp criticism of President Obama's military policy, on Thursday Mitt Romney slammed a proposal that could result in the transfer of some prisoners from Guantanamo Bay.
"Today there's talk about him releasing five people from Guantanamo as a sign of good faith to the Taliban," Romney told an overflow audience standing outside his packed rally in Reno. "Are you kidding me? A sign of good faith to our enemy that's killing our troops? I just, I simply can't get over it."
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In an effort to negotiate with the Taliban, the Obama administration has proposed a transfer of some prisoners from Guantanamo to Qatar as a sign of good faith by the United States.
The administration said any discussion about releasing the detainees would be preliminary and would hinge upon the Taliban renouncing terrorism and agreeing to peace talks.
The GOP candidate continued his attacks on the Defense Department chief for declaring Wednesday that the United States and NATO plan to end combat operations in Afghanistan sometime in 2013.
Romney is expected to do well in Nevada's Saturday caucuses, and seemed upbeat and punchy in his remarks to the roughly 200 people who could not squeeze into his evening event.
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He joked perhaps the people huddled near heat lamps in the chilly evening air weren't let inside because they had bad breath, and encouraged them to go watch his event on TV at home to escape the 40-degree weather.
"You got bad breath or something? What's the matter?" he asked. "You get to come and say hi and then get to go home."
- CNN's Barbara Starr and Adam Levine contributed to this report.
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