Mitt Romney’s Foreign Policy Blame Game
No one really seems to want to talk about this, but Mitt Romney is a very rich man. As such, he owns lots of houses—six, I believe. He reportedly told Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly “Guess what? I made a lot of money.”
But people who live in big glass houses, shouldn’t throw stones.
The New York Times reports, “On the eve of a trip abroad intended to burnish his qualifications to be commander in chief, Mitt Romney accused Obama administration officials on Tuesday of betraying the country by leaking national security secrets for their own political gain and failing to stand up to adversaries like China, Russia and Iran.”
MORE: Mitt Romney Shows Some Chutzpah
Romney’s newest attack appears to be rooted in his inability “to gain traction on foreign policy issues against Mr. Obama, who has enjoyed public support for the raid that killed Osama bin Laden and good marks in polls for his handling of American diplomacy.”
Right, Osama bin Laden.
The last Republican administration never seemed to be able to find that guy. Or those weapons of mass destruction that were supposedly in Iraq. But Mitt doesn’t want to focus on any of that. It’s much easier to play the “Democrats-are-weak-on-foreign-policy” card.
But oops, The Times notes, “While Mr. Romney’s speech was notable for the intensity of his attacks against Mr. Obama, it was also notable for a lack of new policy specifics. That seemed to underscore how much his campaign has struggled to find sharp contrasts with the White House on foreign policy.”
In his rant, I mean speech, Romney said three times that President Obama had “betrayed” the trust of America’s closest allies, particularly Israel. He pointedly harped on the fact that Obama has not visited Israel since he’s been in office.
Yet, Colin Kahl, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East commented to Haaretz that, “President Reagan didn’t visit Israel. President Bush did it only in his final year.”
In terms of Obama’s attention, or inattention as Romney would have it, Bloomberg quoted the President in May as saying, “And remember that the U.S.-Israel relationship is simply too important to be distorted by partisan politics.” Bloomberg added that in 2008, Obama won the election “with 78 percent support from Jewish voters, according to national exit polls.”
Okay, now maybe I see where Mitt is going with this. But shouldn’t we also take a look at Romney’s cozy relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. An April article in The New York Times noted that the two men’s lives “intersected, briefly but indelibly, in the 16th-floor offices of the Boston Consulting Group, where both had been recruited as corporate advisers.” And the Times goes on to say, “Mr. Romney has suggested that he would not make any significant policy decisions about Israel without consulting Mr. Netanyahu.”
I guess that would help give a specific direction to the U.S. relationship with Israel. But I’m not sure it shows the leadership skills of a commander in chief.
Better watch out for that glass ceiling, Mitt.
What do you think about Mitt Romney’s criticism of President Obama’s foreign policy initiatives? What would Mitt do better? Leave it in COMMENTS.
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Lawrence Karol is a freelance writer and editor who lives in New York City in a mid-century-modern-inspired apartment with his dog, Mike. He is a former Gourmet editor, who enjoys writing about design, food, and lots of other stuff. @WriteEditDream | Email Lawrence | TakePart.com
