2012 Update Romney Delivers Rousing, Sensible Foreign Policy Speech, Obama Campaign Response Ad Weak

2012 Presidential Candidate, former Massachusetts Governor, Mitt Romney, gave a solid foreign policy speech at the Virginia Military Institute on Monday – the video appears below via C-Span. The New York Times editorialized the event in it’s headline “Mitt Romney Speaks Harshly but Treads Fine Line on Foreign Policy”, with an opening paragraph outline Romney’s “attack” on Obama and go on to cite their own editorial. (Read entire article here.).

Romney on Foreign policy approach.



Not sitting idly by, the Obama Campaign released an ad in response to Romney’s speech, the ad rehashes Romney’s trip abroad this past summer, visiting England, Poland and Israel. In the eyes of the media, as well as some “Republican’s”, Romney had made foreign policy “gaffes” on his trip. The ad continuously cites the New York Times as evidence of these gaffes, and notes “even Republican’s” without naming one. (Of course, 30 seconds is not enough time to get in all points, or the alleged gaffe for that matter.) Romney was in Israel for the fourth time, in Poland he was endorsed by Lech Walesa and in the UK, Romney was asked and answered questions about the U.K.’s preparedness for the Olympic Games, something he’s familiar with. After giving his opinion, which was a review that noted problems with the preparedness, he was roundly criticized in the UK and US press. Other than that, one is hard pressed to find an actual gaffe, if that is a “gaffe”. Included in the mix was Romney’s jump on the President over the attacks on our embassy in Libya. The ad appears below.

Obama anti-Romney foreign policy speech



Romney’s speech, ideas and basic foreign policy outline given in the speech, has to have the Obama Campaign a bit nervous after the drubbing Romney gave Obama on Economic Policy during the first debate. To understand that what the average American has seen on Romney’s foreign policy is mere clips by a less than friendly media, once Romney takes the debate stage, there is no way to hide his depth of knowledge, nor to control the environment for the President. It remains to be seen, of course, how well Romney will deliver during the foreign policy debate, however, if it is a tenth of what he showed in the speech at the Virginia Military Institute, there will be no “do-over’s” for the Obama Campaign going forward.

Note on Romney and foreign policy, specifically Iran. As the 2009 Green revolution and attack on those demonstrators by the Theocratic government in Iran began, there was little to no US coverage of unfolding events. For days the brutality against peaceful demonstrators went unchallenged, all communications coming through Twitter and video’s posted to YouTube and other sites. It was heartbreaking to watch half a nation stand up and beg for help, while the U.S. with troops in Iraq and in Afghanistan, stood by silent. It was heartbreaking to watch as CNN International finally began reporting, after so many lives were lost and demonstrators imprisoned. It was heartwarming to know that that Canadian’s and Italian’s were taking in demonstrators, trying to help the best they could while the Iranian Government had to hire mercenaries to kill and contain the Iranian freedom seekers. It was embarrassing that the US did nothing until several weeks later, and it was nothing but a condemnation of the government in “harsh” tones. A perfect opportunity lay before us, to deliver peace to the region by merely showing signs of support, and yet, nothing. Of course, Russia has particular interest in Iran – go figure.

Romney, to his credit, understood the revolution, and the opportunity that this peaceful revolution had presented. There were, of course, mentions of other issues that had taken place or are taking place now, however, to this mind that comment was worth more, perhaps than the others. It is of course, easy to “Monday morning quarterback”, on any given event or subject, but it appears to have the ability to grasp the import is critical.