Romney's Libya Line Fuels Foreign Policy Doubts It was supposed to be a clear-eyed rebuke of the sitting presidentâs approach to a foreign-policy crisis. Instead, Mitt Romneyâs criticism of President Barack Obamaâs handling of the attacks in Egypt and Libya that led to the death of a U.S. ambassador yesterday fueled questions -- even among his allies -- about the Republican presidential nomineeâs inexperience on national security as his campaign is pushing to gain traction by refocusing on jobs and the economy. Obama, in a television interview, said Romney âseems to have a tendency to shoot first, aim later,â and called the episode a âbroader lessonâ about being commander in chief. âAs president, one of the things Iâve learned is you canât do that -- that, you know, itâs important for you to make sure that the statements that you make are backed up by the facts, and that youâve thought through the ramifications before you make them,â Obama told CBS News in an interview to be broadcast in its entirety Sept. 16 on the program â60 Minutes.â Some prominent Republicans shared that view. Romney âwill find out that first reports from the battlefield are always incorrect,â Richard Armitage, the former deputy Secretary of State under Republican President George W. Bush, said in an interview yesterday. âThis should be his mantra, so he can speak in a deliberate manner, and not have to repent at his leisure later.â Prior Mistakes The flap over Romneyâs reaction follows criticism of him from the Obama campaign for making no mention of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq in his nominating acceptance speech last month at the Republican National Convention. The former Massachusetts governor was also faulted for a gaffe-plagued overseas trip in July, during which he insulted the London leaders of the 2012 Summer Olympics by questioning their security arrangements. In another instance where Romney drew attention for sharp critiques of Obama as a foreign predicament was unfolding, he was criticized earlier this year for complaining about the White Houseâs handling of the case of Chen Guangcheng, a Chinese dissident, even as the administration was in the midst of negotiating Chenâs safe release. The latest political skirmish focused on a series of remarks by Romney and his campaign on the U.S. handling and reaction to the protests in Libya and Egypt that culminated in violence. âAkin to Apologyâ In a Jacksonville, Florida, news conference yesterday, Romney said the Obama administration set a âterrible courseâ when the U.S. embassy in Cairo issued a statement the Republican nominee called âakin to apologyâ for Egyptian protesters before the death of U.S. envoy to Libya J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans in Benghazi, Libya. Romneyâs comments came just hours after his campaign issued a separate statement late on Sept. 11 -- near the close of the 11th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on U.S. soil -- that the Obama administrationâs âfirst responseâ had been to âsympathize with those who waged the attacks,â calling it âdisgraceful.â Romneyâs remarks centered on a statement calling for religious tolerance issued by the U.S. embassy in Cairo several hours before attacks erupted there and in Libya in an attempt to ease tensions over an anti-Muslim film. As protesters gathered outside, the embassy initially posted a message Sept. 11 on the social networking site Twitter saying, âRespect for religious beliefs is a cornerstone of American democracy.â About an hour later, it released a statement saying it condemned âthe continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims -- as we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions.â âTerrible Courseâ âItâs a terrible course for America to stand in apology for our values,â Romney told reporters at the Jacksonville news conference yesterday where supporters, whoâd gathered for a previously scheduled event, looked on through windows. âInstead, when our grounds are being attacked and being breached, the first response of the United States must be outrage at the breach of the sovereignty of our nation.â Romney, who said he mourned the loss of American life and was praying for the victimsâ families, said the embassy had stood by its statement âafter their grounds had been breached.â The embassy in Cairo posted another message on Twitter after the attacks that said its earlier condemnation of religious intolerance âstill stands. As does our condemnation of unjustified breach of the embassy.â Defending Romney Romneyâs allies came to his defense, saying he had rightly pointed out shortcomings in Obamaâs foreign policy, and their ramifications for U.S. security. Representative Peter King, the New York House Republican who chairs the Homeland Security Committee, questioned the timing of Romneyâs statement, not its substance. âI probably would have waited 12 or 24 hoursâ because âa quick statement,â if âsomething tragic does happen,â may âbe perceived as being political,â King said. Still, King said he agreed with âthe overall point he was making,â adding that âwe have to be more aggressive in the Middle East.â The embassyâs statement âwas reflective of the weak, meandering Middle East policy of the Obama administration,â King said. âWe should not be in any way using a statement to try to buy off radicals.â Poll Results Public opinion polls consistently have shown voters giving Obama higher marks on dealing with foreign policy than Romney. In a CNN/ORC International survey released earlier this week, Obama was favored on the issue over Romney, 54 percent to 42 percent. Romneyâs campaign initially appeared to make an effort to avoid reproaching Obama on the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the U.S., circulating its initial critical statement just after 11 p.m. that night and embargoing it until 12:01 a.m. Eastern time on Sept. 12. An aide lifted the embargo minutes later. Romneyâs remarks at his news conference in Florida followed the confirmation that Stevens and the three others were killed in an attack on the consulate in Benghazi amid protests in the North African country and neighboring Egypt over a film about the Prophet Muhammad viewed as blasphemous by Muslims. âThe embassy is the administration,â Romney said. âThe statement that came from the administration was a statement that was akin to apology.â Talking Points In talking points his campaign distributed yesterday to Republican surrogates, Romneyâs senior aides instructed allies to dismiss the question, âDid Governor Romney âjump the gunâ last night in releasing his statement?â âNo,â the talking points said, offering a line similar to one Romney used at his news conference. âIt is never too soon to stand up for American values and interests.â Still, some Republicans said privately that Romneyâs response had deepened questions about his understanding of and ability to handle foreign policy questions. One national security veteran of a former Republican administration, speaking on condition of anonymity to avoid publicly criticizing the partyâs standard bearer, said Romney had reacted precipitously without knowing all the facts in an effort to score political points -- and missed badly. Mark Salter, a confidant and former aide to Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona, the partyâs 2008 presidential nominee, wrote that the response of Romney and others who had condemned Obama in the wake of the killings was âas tortured in its reasoning as it is unseemly in its timing.â âI understand the Romney campaign is under pressure from some Republicans to toughen its attacks on the president,â Salter wrote on the website RealClearPolitics, adding that he is âsympathetic to Romneyâs predicament.â âBut this is hardly the issue or the moment to demonstrate a greater resolve to take the fight to the president,â Salter wrote. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-09-12/romney-criticized-for-handling-of-libya-protests-death#
When You Learn Theyâre Not Ready Some moments show you when a candidate is ready or not to become President of the United States. I suspect last night will become one of those moments for Mitt Romney. The verdict will not be positive. http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2012/09/when_you_learn_theyre_not_ready.php all romney really has is "hey look at me. i am the white guy".
Leftist spin machine going full tilt. Doesn't matter what Romney is or isn't saying. He's not in charge. What matters is Obama's lack of action. This is not a crime scene. It's a war! Swift, decisive and deadly action is required. We should be shooting the attackers off Embassy walls as we speak. Gun Ships shoud be spraying the streets around the Embassy's. Right now Radical Islamists know there is no price to pay for their actions. We have a weak and unresponsive administration in charge. Many more Americans will die as a result.
Mostly among those who weren't voting for him anyway. Now how about the Libya situation fueling doubts about Obama's foreign policy? You forgot to mention that.
You have a whacky perspective. We are not in any formally declared wars. We're engaged in many conflicts around the world but in an off the radar unofficial capacity. Libya and their people were better off before all of the world's meddling. The only reason we stirred the pot was to preserve the dollar and stop the Gold Dinar. I feel bad that the diplomat died but were his hands clean? He was directly involved with ousting the last regime... What do we really want to do in Libya? Buy Oil, establish a conduit for our Corps to trade?
Neither is Obama, but we're stuck with him anyway. Romney may or may not be able to do a better job. What we know for a fact is Obama is clearly in over his head. The question becomes, do we take a chance on a guy who might do better, or do we stick with a guy we know will do worse? Seems simple enough.