The Governor gave a good, solid, very American speech on foreign affairs at the Virginia Military Institute. The Obama campaign, predictably, has launched an attack (h/t Drudge Report) on Romney's foreign policy as being to the right of George Bush. They, of course, launched their nonsensical attack BEFORE Romney gave his speech--weren't they the ones who criticized the Governor for "prematurely" criticizing attacks on the American Embassy in Cairo? I find, of course, that to attack a foreign policy for being to the right of Bush's is a compliment: we should reject vast, expensive, and ultimately futile Third-World-nation-building exercises, the bane of our policy in Afghanistan.
He laid out what had been the American consensus on foreign policy for most of the post-WWII era: the idea that the United States would have a military capability second to none; that friends and foes would know what we could and would do; and that our goal was not conquest but a world engaged in peaceful trade. He showed that he has much clearer vision than Obama of what we face in the Middle East,
The attack on our Consulate in Benghazi on September 11th, 2012 was likely the work of forces affiliated with those that attacked our homeland on September 11th, 2001. This latest assault cannot be blamed on a reprehensible video insulting Islam, despite the Administration’s attempts to convince us of that for so long. No, as the Administration has finally conceded, these attacks were the deliberate work of terrorists who use violence to impose their dark ideology on others, especially women and girls; who are fighting to control much of the Middle East today; and who seek to wage perpetual war on the West.
He also reaffirmed the view of the United States as an indispensable and exceptional country,
This is what makes America exceptional: It is not just the character of our country—it is the record of our accomplishments. America has a proud history of strong, confident, principled global leadership—a history that has been written by patriots of both parties. That is America at its best. And it is the standard by which we measure every President, as well as anyone who wishes to be President. Unfortunately, this President’s policies have not been equal to our best examples of world leadership. And nowhere is this more evident than in the Middle East.
It is a good compelling vision, one that predominated in both parties until the Democrats went insane.
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Governor Romney's Foreign Policy SpeechPosted on Wednesday, October 31, 2012 @ 06:15:00 EDT in Romney2012 |