Romney, Ryan and Akin bungle response to Libya crisis
Barb ShellyBarack Obama has been criticized throughout his presidency for taking his time before speaking up on national security matters.
That is not a bad thing.
Mitt Romney’s knee-jerk response to attacks on U.S. embassy building in Egypt and Libya bears out that contention. Romney used a statement put out by the embassy in Cairo, obviously intended to calm a volatile situation there, to once again falsely accuse the Obama administration of following an “apologist” diplomatic course.
Romney wrongly confused the Cairo embassy statement with the administration’s official response to the attack in Cairo and a more severe incident in Benghazi which resulted in the death of Ambassador Chris Stevens and three others.
In fact, the administration’s official response could not have been more on point. Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton did what leaders are supposed to do — they gathered pertinent information, evaluated what was going on and then spoke for the nation.
“This is an attack that should shock the conscience of people of all faiths around the world,” Clinton said. “We condemn in the strongest possible terms this senseless act of violence.”
She also said: “…we must be clear-eyed even in our grief. This was an attack by a small and savage group, not by the people or government of Libya.”
Compare that to the statement by Romney, who said in a news conference this morning: “I think it is a terrible course for America to stand in apology for our values.”
Or to statements made recently by Romney’s running mate, U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, who offered, completely without rationale, that Obama’s cuts to the defense budget make these kinds of attacks more likely.
Or to the strange statements made today in Platte County by U.S. Rep. Todd Akin, the GOP nominee who is challenging Democrat Claire McCaskill for Missouri’s U.S. Senate seat.
“We have to figure out who did it, of course, and then how do we take that organization apart,” Akin said.
At the time Akin spoke, both attacks were being portrayed as the result of spontaneous mob violence prompted by an anti-Islamic film produced in California. More recent reports say that the Obama administration is studying whether a more organized group may have been responsible for the violence in Libya, perhaps using the uproar over the film as cover. So Akin is right about that.
He also said: “I think weak foreign policy tends to create less stability in the world, and when you have a very strong leader, and it’s very clear where America is and what we stand for, it just seems as if there’s less violenc.”
That remark is irresponsible and dumb. No one ever accused George W. Bush of being an apologist, but the 9/11 attacks still occurred under his watch.
Republicans should back off of this “apologist” meme. Americans aren’t buying it. By a substantial margin, they express confidence in the Obama administration’s foreign policy.
(I made a change in this post. In regard to Todd Akin’s comments to reporters, it initially said the attack appeared to be the result of mob violence. It now appears Akin was correct in suggesting a more organized effort.)
George Hunsucker
Northland
9 months, 1 week agoYou pacifists are sickening ms. shelly…
Where is a leader willing to stand-up for what is right and demand these other countries stop killing Americans?????
George Hunsucker
Northland
9 months, 1 week agoRomney’s statement…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/decision2012/mitt-romneys-statement-on-the-libya-ambassador-attack/2012/09/12/3d314562-fceb-11e1-b153-218509a954e1_story.html
George Hunsucker
Northland
9 months, 1 week agoOur government’s initial response…
http://egypt.usembassy.gov/pr091112.html
Yep, our fault for your terrorist activities…
William R. Nelson
9 months, 1 week agoPlease, Mrs. Shelly, you shouldn’t shamelessly politicize the tragic deaths of our fellow citizens with such a partisan response.
Johnathon Busby
9 months, 1 week agoDon’t know if you noticed, but the issue was politicized the moment Romney opened his mouth about it this morning.
George Hunsucker
Northland
9 months, 1 week agoCheck Johnathon…..
Mark Hastert
9 months, 1 week agoWhen our conutry is attacked we stand together in solidarity. Boehner, McConnell, and every other responsible American did that. Romney campaigned on it…..sleazy.
He made an irresponsible statement while the situation was still fluid and the facts not fully known. Yeah, he’d make a great President.
Mark Hastert
9 months, 1 week ago“Oh gee, Mark. It is political season, you know?”
….no Chuck, it was sleazy politicking. He looks like a petty opportunist capitalizing on a national tragedy. It’s gonna cost him the election.
George Hunsucker
Northland
9 months, 1 week agoah, the joyful patriotic lame stream media…
Just makes you sooooooooooo proud….
http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/npr-reporter-refuses-to-stand-for-pledge-national-anthem.html
George Hunsucker
Northland
9 months, 1 week agoMuch too busy campaigning to get intel…
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2012/09/12/Exclusive-Obama-Skipped-Intel-Briefings-Week-Before-Embassy-Attacks
Or to talk to any ally, Netanyahu, but plenty of time to go on Lettermen…
What a “leader”……
Matt Henry
9 months, 1 week agoI would actually agree that all parties reacted poorly; Obama acted way too slowly in condemning the violence and still hasn’t demanded that the Egyptians and Libyans get their houses in order. Romney should have paused a little longer and waited for more info to come in.
That being said, her “irresponsible and dumb” comment was, well, irresponsible and dumb. How does she back this up? By pulling the 8th grade school-girl ripcord and saying “you never said that about Bush!” True that, but he was eight months into his Presidency, hadn’t stood idly by during a revolution in Iran that involved actual pro-western, pro-freedom groups, actively participated in securing Egypt for the brotherhood, bombed yet another Arab country without any approval of congress when all indicators were that the rebels were and are radical islamists, and then in contradiction to his decision in Libya watched the continuing massacre in Syria from the sidelines. Oh, and don’t forget the tepid response to the threat from Iran. How much of anything similar to this did Bush have in his history that might indicate his weakness?
BTW, I wonder if Obama continuing to revel in and peacock around about the Obama raid as his singular foreign policy achievement might be agitating the crazies?
Bush derangement syndrome redux.
Phil Cardarella
9 months, 1 week agoOK, just what was wrong with the Cairo Embassy statement? It is hardly a surrender of the First Amendment to state that one should not go out of one’s way to denegrate the religion of another. Seems … uh, DIPLOMATIC.
By the way, did the Israeli who produced this seriously vile piece of crap come to the US to do it because even the Israeli government would have stopped him?
By the way, the only casualty in Cairo was a big flag. (Ironic, ain’t it? The guys who want to make it a crime to burn a flag now are big First Amendment folks when it comes to making fun of Mohammed.)
Bengazi is another matter. It seems to have been a coordinated terrorist attack hidden inside a demonstration where most folks had no intention of violence. I suspect that those responisble will have the chance to turn themselves in to the Lybian government or face suicide by drone.
The only silver lining in this sad day may well be that the American people have had a chance to see the Romney Band of Amateurs demonstrate just how inept they are at foreign policy: Ready. Fire. Aim.
George Hunsucker
Northland
9 months, 1 week agoIf there are any amateurs phil, it is the big ZERO and his merry band of Chicago academics and “community organizers”.
What have they done to American prestige?????
Johnathon Busby
9 months, 1 week ago“What have they done to American prestige?????”
Right, I forgot that before Obama, in the middle east they used to wave American flags from the windows and speak of us with respect and regard.
George Hunsucker
Northland
9 months, 1 week agoYes, Johnathon, we certainly have more prestige under your beloved big zero….
George Hunsucker
Northland
9 months, 1 week agoForgot the latest link…
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/09/13/protesters-angry-over-anti-islam-film-storm-us-embassy-in-yemen/#ixzz26L7UVoR3
George Hunsucker
Northland
9 months, 1 week agoAn example of the big 0 politicizing a diplomatic death….
http://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczynski/barack-obama-used-troop-deaths-to-ding-bush-mccai
Johnathon Busby
9 months, 1 week agoYou skipped my point; that the middle east has never been friendly to us, and no president is going to change that.
Kent Mueller
9 months, 1 week agoBarb, Johnathon, Mark…..
“The sacrifices that our troops and our diplomats make are obviously very different from the challenges that we face here domestically but like them, you guys are Americans who sense that we can do better than we’re doing….I’m just really proud of you.”
— President Obama talking to volunteers for his re-election campaign in Las Vegas, comparing them to slain Americans in Libya.
Now who is politicizing the deaths? Making any comparison of the slain with campaign workers? Really? Wow
Phil Cardarella
9 months, 1 week agoKent:
Is there some part of “obviously very different” that you have trouble understanding?
And, while “obviously very different,” do you think that young people who work in the campaigns of those who they believe will govern the Republic best — whatever the Party — are not engaged in very important patriotic activity?
Citizenship can involve military service — but it certainly involves less demanding service as well. Paying taxes. Obeying the law. Participating fully in the electoral process. Even treating your fellow-citizens with some level of dignity and respect.
All of these are patriotic acts, too.
Kent Mueller
9 months, 1 week agoPhil…..if you have to say “obviously very different” then you really don’t mean it. You can’t ever say….I don’t want to draw this comparison, but……, because you, by stating it, make that comparison.
And don’t lecture me, Phil.
Kent Mueller
9 months, 1 week agoJohnathon, you said no president is going to change middle east attitudes towards us. Then what was the world wide apology tour all about? Obama absolutely thought he could tell them how much we respect them and then all would be well. How naive. Or, worse.
Phil, if there wasn’t anything wrong with the Cairo statement, then why did they take it down off of their website so fast?