A New Romney

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Outlining his possible rationale for a third presidential bid, Mitt Romney said Wednesday night that political leaders in both parties are failing to address the nation's most pressing problems - climate change, poverty and education reform, among them - as he acknowledged lessons learned from his failed 2012 presidential campaign.

"Why run for office in the first place?" Romney asked aloud as he addressed a sold-out crowd of about 3,000 at an investment management conference in Utah. "The major challenges that this country faces are not being dealt with by leaders in Washington."

He continued: "On both sides of the aisle, we just haven't been able to take on and try and make progress on the major issues of our day."

The 2012 Republican presidential nominee's appearance was his second public address since privately telling potential donors earlier in the month that he's considering a 2016 presidential campaign. He used his remarks to broaden a populist platform he first touched on last week that marks a sharp shift from the rhetoric of his first two campaigns.

While hitting familiar Republican points criticizing the size of the federal debt, Romney at times sounded like a Democrat, calling for President Barack Obama and other leaders in Washington to act on common liberal priorities such as climate change, poverty and education.

"I'm one of those Republicans who thinks we are getting warmer and that we contribute to that," he said of climate change, charging that federal leaders have failed to enact global agreements needed to tackle the problem.