On Wednesday morning IST, business tycoon turned United States presidential hopeful Mitt Romney resurrected the 'India bogey' during his speech (external link) following the Florida Republican primary, in which Romney came in second to US Senator John McCain.

'Our world is under attack from violent, radical jihadists. Our jobs are being sought by new competitors -- countries like Asia and India. Some (Americans) wonder if their job is going to be secure in a new global economy,' Romney told supporters after his defeat.

Romney, 60, first established himself as a businessman before campaigning for and winning the Massachusetts gubernatorial race in 2002. He has built his current bid for the American presidency on his business pedigree.

'I spent my entire life in the real economy. I know why jobs come; I know why they go. I've been doing business in 20 countries around the world. I've run small business and large business. The economy is in my DNA. At a time like this, America needs a president in the White House who has actually had a job in the real economy,' he said.

Last year, on March 29, Romney expressed similar sentiments about Asia, saying, 'We face a much tougher competitor or group of competitors coming from Asia than we've ever faced before. Asia is tough. There are a lot of Asians. They are hard working people. And they're going to give us a run for our money in terms of our economic vitality.'

With the US dollar weakening by the day, the American housing market in shambles, and many an economist predicting a recession, Romney's comments play to America's growing uneasiness over the rise of China and India, particularly in business process outsourcing, which was a major talking point of the 2004 US presidential election. A commitment to curb offshoring has served as one of the pillars of Romney's campaign.

India has received considerable media mileage in the US as a prime destination for outsourced jobs. Some incensed Americans believe that large US corporations are shipping employment to India in order to pay cheaper wages, at the expense of the everyday American; these protestors have even created flourishing anti-outsourcing movements, like nojobsforindia.com.

Moreover, many in the US feel that President George W Bush has let Americans down through his implicit and stated support of outsourcing, and are ready for a change in direction and leadership.

Immigration concerns and America's place in the global economy -- border security, illegal immigrants, H-1B visas, outsourcing, etc -- are key components of this year's presidential race.

While many of the major candidates, including Romney and Barack Obama, have rallied against outsourcing as a perceived evil, only Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and Republican candidate John McCain have openly made pro-outsourcing statements.