Romney's Tough Talking Foreign Policy

by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright Sept 24, 2012
All Rights Reserved.                                         

                 When deadly riots broke out in Egypt and the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya was rocket-bombed Aug.12 killing 52-year-old U.S. Amb. Chris Stevens, GOP presidential candidate former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney blasted President Barack Obama for a “weak foreign policy.”  Mitt also condemned Barack’s handling of Iran and Syria, suggesting if he were president world events would not get out of hand.  Romney equates Mideast riots with Obama’s “weak foreign policy.”  If only he could reinstate the foreign policy of the prior GOP administration, then, somehow, rioting would be averted.  Rioting broke out Sept. 12 after a Cerritos, Calif.-based Coptic Christian code-named Sam Basile released his anti-Mohammed rant on YouTube, depicting the prophet as a womanizing pedophile.  While thousands of videos are released daily on YouTube, Arab talk shows whipped up mass hysteria.

            Romney and his VP pick Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-Wis.) criticism of Barack’s foreign policy backfired with prospective voters punishing the GOP in the polls.  When Basile’s video went viral Aug. 12, Romney was in a dead heat with Obama.  In less than two weeks, Barack’s lead weighted national polls by 4%, up to 8% in some reliable polls like Gallup.  Since Mitt’s attacks, Obama has made significant strides in all-important battleground states like Ohio, Iowa, Colorado, Nevada, Virginia and Florida.  Romney told CBC News’ “60 Minutes” he thought his campaign was doing fine.  When the first presidential debate airs Oct. 3, Barack’s margins could grow even bigger.  “When it comes to our national security decisions—any pressure that I feel is simply to do what’s right for the American people.  And I am going to block out any noise that’s out there,” said Barack, facing criticism about Israel.

            Romney and Ryan have tried to pit the White House against Israel—the U.S.’s top ally in the Middle East.  When asked whether he considered Egypt an ally, Barack hesitated.  Always considered an ally by the U.S., Egypt’s new Muslim Brotherhood-backed government of 61-year U.S. educated Mohamed Morsi falls somewhere in-between.  While Egyptian rabble-rousers pelted the U.S. embassy with rocks and Molotov cocktails, Morsi kept a low profile.  When he finally acted to clear violent protesters away from the U.S. embassy, Morsi started acting like an ally.  Obama opened the door for Romney when he told the media Aug. 13 that Egypt fell somewhat between ally and adversary.  Romney actively criticized Barack’s foreign policy for tolerating Mideast unrest, including the current insurgency threatening the sovereignty of 47-year-old Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

            Romney accused Barack of not doing enough to halt Iran’s nuclear program or to stop Syria’s al-Assad’s bloody crackdown on Syrian rebels.  China and Russia have both rebuked the U.S. proclivity to support Syrian rebels without knowing who’s sponsoring the street violence.  Al-Assad has accused Saudi Arabia of backing Wahhabist extremist groups against his small Shiite Alawite minority.  “So if Gov. Romney is suggesting that we should start another war, he should say so,” said Barack, forcing Romney and Ryan to clarify what they’d do differently.  Romney and Ryan parrot the GOP argument made by former President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney that Obama abandoned Iraq too soon.  Barack fulfilled a campaign promise Dec. 31, 2011, ending the Iraq war that was built off Saddam’s missing weapons of mass destruction   Obama questions whether Romney’s gunning for Syria and Iran.

            Romney and Ryan have painted themselves into a corner bashing Barack’s foreign policy.  Ignoring Barack’s successes in the war on terror, especially getting Osama bin Laden May 1, 2011 or Yemen’s No. 1 al-Qaeda operative U.S.-born Anwar al-Awlaki Sept. 30, 2011, the GOP completely ignores Barack’s foreign policy successes.  When they criticize his position on Iran, they’re asking for more than U.N. Security Council economic sanctions.  Romney and Ryan know that China and Russia oppose U.S. intervention in Syria.  China and Russia trade heavily with Syria, refusing to go along on the U.S. Security Council applying more than economic sanctions.  If the U.S. unilaterally bombs Syria or Iran, it would certainly face condemnation by China and Russia in the Security Council.  Neither Syria nor Iran meets the threshold of countries threatening U.S. national security.

            If reelected on Nov. 6, Barack promises to end the 11-year-old Afghan War, costing U.S. taxpayers nearly $1 trillion and 2,123 lives.  With deaths occurring daily over alleged infiltration into U.S.-backed President Hamid Karzai’s government by the Taliban, Afghanistan is no longer winnable or safe for U.S. forces.  “That we’d go after Bin Laden.  He’s gone.  So I’ve executed on my foreign policy.  And it’s one that the American people largely agreed with,” said Obama, pointing to his foreign successes ignored by Romney and Ryan.  Obama’s been wary of Romney’s foreign policy advisors from the past Bush administration, especially Cheney’s neocon friends at the Pentagon, including former Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, former Defense Policy Board Chairman Richard Perle and former Pentagon Office of Special Plans Director Douglas J. Feith Jr.

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news.  He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com.and author of Dodging the Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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