Mitt Romney's Callous Indifference
I've always known that the belief that Republicans are "better" or "stronger" than Democrats in the area of foreign policy is a myth, and has been since 1941, if not earlier. (Democrats: WW-II and the Marshall Plan. Republicans: McCarthyism and Iraq.) I've also known that today's Republican Party is so weak on foreign policy that our enemies must surely be laughing their asses off. What I did not know, is that their weakness would become so obvious, so quickly, in such a stark single incident, as Mutt Romney's downright childish attempt to use the killing of one of our Ambassadors to pretend he's more manly than President Obama. So much for "my experience as a successful businessman makes me qualified to be President (right, Mr. Trump?)."
In reality, this latest proof of Republican stupidity began before the violent incidents at our Egyptian and Libyan diplomatic offices, when Romney's foreign-policy advisor, Robert O'Brien, said this:
"It doesn't surprise me that they're raising foreign policy because it's another distraction from the Administration’s terrible economic record,” O’Brien told BuzzFeed. “They're going from one shiny object to the next."
So the party that once built ALL of its credibility on pretending they and they alone could keep America safe from all those murderous foreigners who hate our freedoms, are now saying events on the rest of the planet are a "distraction?" I consider myself an articulate guy, but this level of know-nothingism, hypocricy, and willful infantilism simply leaves me sputtering. This is a clasic case of sheer incoherent stupidity getting halfway around the world before the truth can even sort out what was said, let alone tie its boots at the same time.
This comment is made all the more ridiculous by what immediately follows:
“The Governor is an extraordinarily well-traveled businessman, he lived overseas as a young man, he speaks French, he understands the world and he's written extensively about foreign policy and national security,” he continued. “The idea that he's this naive guy at 65 years old, given his experience heading the Olympic Winter Games and everything else, I just don't think that's going to play."
Okay, so when do we actually start to see this amazing experience and savoir-faire in action? Is there no beginning to Romney's talent? Will we soon hear Romney say "I can see the new Chinese aircraft carrier from my yacht?" Or is a new aircraft carrier shiny enough for Romney to notice?
But I digress. Soon after the Romney campaign uttered that brown gem of win, demonstrations outside US diplomatic offices in Cairo and Benghazi turned violent, and our Ambassador to Libya and three other Americans were killed in Benghazi. The protests were apparently in response to the release of a trailer for a truly atrocious movie, titled "Innocence of Muslims" (click here for extremely suspicious emerging details about the making of that film), whose sole purpose appears to be to insult and incite violent reaction. So it seems entirely understandable that people beseiged inside the Cairo embassy would issue a statement trying to calm the growing anger. Such a statement was indeed issued, saying that US embassy personnel condemn “the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims - as we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions.”
According to the news reports I've seen so far, this statement came out BEFORE our diplomatic personnel were killed in a fire set off by a rocket attack. Remember that -- it's important.
So what was Mitt Romney's response to the incident?
In a statement Tuesday night, Romney said he was outraged by the attacks and the death of the American consulate worker. He added, “It’s disgraceful that the Obama administration’s first response was not to condemn attacks on our diplomatic missions, but to sympathize with those who waged the attacks.”
Once again, the Republicans' sheer depraved indifference to reality leaves this veteran wordsmith sputtering. (That could, in fact, be the only purpose Republican rhetoric serves anymore.) Hardowrking Americans are dead as a result of just one aspect of a huge and complex socio-political earthquake (which the Republicans seem barely to have noticed), and this spoiled child of privilege can't even be bothered to get some simple facts straight before opening his mouth and trying to capitalize on other people's suffering. Couldn't this SCOP even distinguish between "the Obama administration" and some foreign-service workers in Cairo?
And as if that still wasn't disgraceful enough, Romney then accused Obama of not responding to the attack fast enough (I heard that AFTER I heard Obama's expression of sympathy for those killed and their families). Then he doubled down on his previous mistake by insisting that as a "leader," he felt he had to respond quickly when Obama "apologizes for American values." No, Mittens, no one was apologizing for our values -- but someone really does need to apologize for conspiring to prodice a movie with the malicious intent to incite to riot. Four Americans are already dead as a result of that malicious act, our position abroad is degraded, and it would be foolish not to expect more violence in the near future. Inciting to riot is not "protected speech," it's a crime, and someone needs to go to jail for it.
Mutt Romney's recent conduct has become so shameful that even his fellow Republicans are starting to run away from him...with some notable exceptions:
Instead, Romney got the backing of Sarah Palin, who took the opportunity to make a penis joke: ”If he doesn’t have a ‘big stick’ to carry, maybe it’s time for him to grow one.” In his corner, Romney also had the esteemed RNC Chairman Reince Priebus, who tweeted a not so faint dog whistle suggesting that Obama sympathizes with Muslim extremists, and Newt Gingrich, who turned 180 on the Libya intervention once Obama supported it.
UPDATE: For those of you asking "Where are the Muslim moderates?" here's your answer: Libyans protesting not only the insults against their religion, but the violent response against it. All the more reason to quit coddling right-wing agents of intolerance in the name of "free speech."
In reality, this latest proof of Republican stupidity began before the violent incidents at our Egyptian and Libyan diplomatic offices, when Romney's foreign-policy advisor, Robert O'Brien, said this:
"It doesn't surprise me that they're raising foreign policy because it's another distraction from the Administration’s terrible economic record,” O’Brien told BuzzFeed. “They're going from one shiny object to the next."
So the party that once built ALL of its credibility on pretending they and they alone could keep America safe from all those murderous foreigners who hate our freedoms, are now saying events on the rest of the planet are a "distraction?" I consider myself an articulate guy, but this level of know-nothingism, hypocricy, and willful infantilism simply leaves me sputtering. This is a clasic case of sheer incoherent stupidity getting halfway around the world before the truth can even sort out what was said, let alone tie its boots at the same time.
This comment is made all the more ridiculous by what immediately follows:
“The Governor is an extraordinarily well-traveled businessman, he lived overseas as a young man, he speaks French, he understands the world and he's written extensively about foreign policy and national security,” he continued. “The idea that he's this naive guy at 65 years old, given his experience heading the Olympic Winter Games and everything else, I just don't think that's going to play."
Okay, so when do we actually start to see this amazing experience and savoir-faire in action? Is there no beginning to Romney's talent? Will we soon hear Romney say "I can see the new Chinese aircraft carrier from my yacht?" Or is a new aircraft carrier shiny enough for Romney to notice?
But I digress. Soon after the Romney campaign uttered that brown gem of win, demonstrations outside US diplomatic offices in Cairo and Benghazi turned violent, and our Ambassador to Libya and three other Americans were killed in Benghazi. The protests were apparently in response to the release of a trailer for a truly atrocious movie, titled "Innocence of Muslims" (click here for extremely suspicious emerging details about the making of that film), whose sole purpose appears to be to insult and incite violent reaction. So it seems entirely understandable that people beseiged inside the Cairo embassy would issue a statement trying to calm the growing anger. Such a statement was indeed issued, saying that US embassy personnel condemn “the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims - as we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions.”
According to the news reports I've seen so far, this statement came out BEFORE our diplomatic personnel were killed in a fire set off by a rocket attack. Remember that -- it's important.
So what was Mitt Romney's response to the incident?
In a statement Tuesday night, Romney said he was outraged by the attacks and the death of the American consulate worker. He added, “It’s disgraceful that the Obama administration’s first response was not to condemn attacks on our diplomatic missions, but to sympathize with those who waged the attacks.”
Once again, the Republicans' sheer depraved indifference to reality leaves this veteran wordsmith sputtering. (That could, in fact, be the only purpose Republican rhetoric serves anymore.) Hardowrking Americans are dead as a result of just one aspect of a huge and complex socio-political earthquake (which the Republicans seem barely to have noticed), and this spoiled child of privilege can't even be bothered to get some simple facts straight before opening his mouth and trying to capitalize on other people's suffering. Couldn't this SCOP even distinguish between "the Obama administration" and some foreign-service workers in Cairo?
And as if that still wasn't disgraceful enough, Romney then accused Obama of not responding to the attack fast enough (I heard that AFTER I heard Obama's expression of sympathy for those killed and their families). Then he doubled down on his previous mistake by insisting that as a "leader," he felt he had to respond quickly when Obama "apologizes for American values." No, Mittens, no one was apologizing for our values -- but someone really does need to apologize for conspiring to prodice a movie with the malicious intent to incite to riot. Four Americans are already dead as a result of that malicious act, our position abroad is degraded, and it would be foolish not to expect more violence in the near future. Inciting to riot is not "protected speech," it's a crime, and someone needs to go to jail for it.
Mutt Romney's recent conduct has become so shameful that even his fellow Republicans are starting to run away from him...with some notable exceptions:
Instead, Romney got the backing of Sarah Palin, who took the opportunity to make a penis joke: ”If he doesn’t have a ‘big stick’ to carry, maybe it’s time for him to grow one.” In his corner, Romney also had the esteemed RNC Chairman Reince Priebus, who tweeted a not so faint dog whistle suggesting that Obama sympathizes with Muslim extremists, and Newt Gingrich, who turned 180 on the Libya intervention once Obama supported it.
UPDATE: For those of you asking "Where are the Muslim moderates?" here's your answer: Libyans protesting not only the insults against their religion, but the violent response against it. All the more reason to quit coddling right-wing agents of intolerance in the name of "free speech."