| Submit your comments on this article |
| -Election 2012 |
| In foreign policy speech, Romney will encourage military spending, Syria intervention |
| 2012-10-08 |
| n a major foreign policy speech Monday Mitt Romney will attempt to portray himself as a leader firmly in the peace-through-strength tradition of Harry Truman and Ronald Reagan, while casting President Barack Obama as an ineffective leader on a dangerous and constantly-evolving world stage. Romney will deliver a 30-minute address, titled "The Mantle of Leadership," later Monday at the Virginia Military Institute, his 10th address on the topic of foreign policy since summer 2011. The former Massachusetts governor's speech, like the others before it, will focus on a vision of peace through strength. It will include new details on how Romney would address current global hotspots and repeat regular stump speech staples -- such as the importance of averting planned defense cuts, expanding and reinvesting in the U.S. military and working closely with allies abroad, especially Israel. In prepared remarks released Sunday to reporters, Romney laid out global issues where his campaign hopes to draw "great contrast" with Obama -- notably on Libya, Syria and Egypt. The speech links the attack on the American consulate in Benghazi last month to al-Qaida, a position Romney has rarely engaged in on the campaign trail. Romney calls the attack "likely the work of the same forces that attacked our homeland on September 11th, 2001," and "the deliberate work of terrorists." The attack was not, he says, a spontaneous response to a movie trailer maligning the Muslim Prophet Mohammad, as the Obama administration initially said. Romney's remarks also attempt to stake out a more activist public position than President Obama on supporting the rebels in Syria's civil war. Romney plans to say that he believes in working with partner nations to arm rebels fighting the government of Syrian President Bashir al-Assad. He would equip the rebels -- "who share our values" -- with heavy weapons to take out "tanks, helicopters and fighter jets," according to the remarks. Hey man! where can I get some of that sh*t Romney is smoking? The Obama administration has refrained from doing so out of concern that the weapons would end up in terrorist hands, according to The New York Times. Romney will also argue that the U.S. must support the rebels to develop influence and good relations with the Syria's future leaders. As he did at the Clinton Global Initiative last month, Romney will argue that U.S. aid to Egypt should be linked with promises from Egyptian leaders to uphold the 1979 peace treaty with Israel and to protect minorities, including the country's Coptic Christians. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #23 Closer to home = CONUS ... * TOPIX > TURKEY INFILTRATING [investing] IN NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES, AND MAY GET CONGRESSIONAL HELP FOR SPECIAL RIGHTS. * RELATED SAME > STUNNER: TURKISH ISLAMISTS SELECT NEW TARGET IN NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES, + "SEE NO EVIL" US HOUSE BILL MAY FACILITATE THE EFFECT. ARTIC > Turkish companies being used for alleged covert prosletyzing of Radical Islamism to US AmeriIndians. FUTURE SITTING BULL, CRAZY HORSE, etal. WANNABES TO WEAR ISLAMIC BURQUAS UNDERNEATH THEIR WAR BONNETS??? 'Tis going to be interesting to explain how Little Big Horn survivor TONKA = COMMANCHE'S descendants became Camels, + no longer Hosses. Can't blame the Genetics Boyz on this one. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2012-10-08 23:07 |
| #22 Sniff, sniff, is there no love for POTUS Eisenhower? Moscow does NOT want anything resembling an "Arab/Islamic" or "Caucasus Spring" in its neck of the woods, regardless of the merits or Hillary. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2012-10-08 19:59 |
| #21 The NYT's editorial is just another hit piece on Romney. One more reason to not waste money on the NYTs. The LSM keeps on carrying water for "O" despite a failed presidency. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2012-10-08 16:44 |
| #20 The Telegraph Mitt Romney calls for Syrian rebels to be armed "Iran is sending arms to Assad because they know his downfall would be a strategic defeat for them," Mr Romney said in a speech in Virginia. "We should be working no less vigorously through our international partners to support the many Syrians who would deliver that defeat to Iran – rather than sitting on the sidelines." The former Massachusetts governor did not, however, specify which rebel factions should be armed, nor if the US should arm them directly or facilitate supply by allies. Diverging from prepared remarks, he said the US should work "through" its global partners, rather than "with". |
| Posted by: tipper 2012-10-08 16:42 |
| #19 Could be debate framing as much as anything. I know how I would ask it. That NY Opines link is like gargling spoilt milk. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2012-10-08 16:42 |
| #18 The NYT's take on the speech. In Search of Answers From Mitt Romney |
| Posted by: tipper 2012-10-08 16:21 |
| #17 Seeing the Syria intervention intention gives the same initial cold shiver as reading that McCain had chosen Palin as his running mate. In both cases, not necessarily the wrong choice logically, but likely disaster for election prospects... (In the case of Syria, also probably the wrong choice logically. NOT a good idea to support that now. It's another Iraq/Afghanistan, and he'll look like a sure-fire warmonger.) |
| Posted by: Bulldog 2012-10-08 14:50 |
| #16 Syria - NOT our friend. |
| Posted by: mojo 2012-10-08 12:39 |
| #15 One area in which Mittens is a clear improvement. Not sure I agree with other comments on staying out of Syria. Might be an angle where we just let the entire region cannibalize itself for a couple of generations. |
| Posted by: Iblis 2012-10-08 12:06 |
| #14 Note that this is NBC News trying to give Romneys speech before Romney does. Best wait for him and his speech before commenting on any policies as put forward by NBC. |
| Posted by: tipover 2012-10-08 10:58 |
| #13 Being as we don't have an identifiable budget or foreign policy at the present, I'll listen to Romney's foreign policy speech with interest. Presently, the forces in Syria are grinding each other down. One downside that might occur would be that islamics will take over. Another might be that Russia will continues to back Assad and help crush the rebels since they stand to gain from continuing the existing cozy relationship. Turkey has a border dispute with Syria. Romney might want to think over the options and extended consequences of each very carefully. I wonder who Romney's military and foreign affairs advisers are? I like Romney's stance of a strong military. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2012-10-08 10:34 |
| #12 Damn it, Mitt, can't we just stay out of Syria? |
| Posted by: Abu Uluque 2012-10-08 10:15 |
| #11 Politicians have a thing about OPM, be it other peoples' money, or other people's mess... |
| Posted by: M. Murcek 2012-10-08 09:59 |
| #10 Hopefully this is election season hot air. Getting involved in Syria would be about as successful as Afghanistan. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2012-10-08 09:53 |
| #9 Sorry we lost that rant. |
| Posted by: Vinegar Henbane5537 2012-10-08 08:41 |
| #8 Since he posted that exact same screed three times around the Burg, I have deleted two of them. I may yet delete the third as a matter of principle. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2012-10-08 08:41 |
| #7 It's not clear to me whether Angiting Snore1647 needs to double his dose or halve it. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2012-10-08 08:11 |
| #6 Angiting Snore1647 you are very ill. |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2012-10-08 07:48 |
| #5 "...walking the power lines by where I live and it's hooked into wind farms. Before that they had a listening post set up out where I live and got into everyone's personal stuff watched it firsthand (short wave etc)! Any way the CIA..." A tin foil hat would fix that fer ya! |
| Posted by: Unang Omeans6347 2012-10-08 07:47 |
| #4 The Syrian rebels are going to win anyway and get their hands on the regime's heavy weapons. A few anti-tank, anti-air weapons aint going to matter after Assad has gone. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2012-10-08 07:34 |
| #3 The honeymoon is over. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2012-10-08 06:37 |
| #2 Romney will also argue that the U.S. must support the rebels to develop influence and good relations with the Syria's future leaders. Recommend he have a quick look at Sub-Saharan Africa and see how that concept has panned out over time. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2012-10-08 05:47 |
| #1 I hope the part about Syria is wrong. I do not want the US involved. |
| Posted by: Whiskey Mike 2012-10-08 05:22 |