Romney Promised to Take Advantage of Foreign Policy Crisis in 47 Percent Remarks

[buzzman]

http://www.truth-out.org/buzzflash/commentary/item/17547-romney-promised-to-take-advantage-of-foreign-policy-crisis-in-47-percent-remarks

Largely unnoticed in the full transcript of the now infamous "47 percent" tape secretly recorded at a Romney fundraiser is a cynical foreign policy/campaign strategy bombshell. The remarks (revealed in the full Mother Jones transcript of the Florida mega-bucks gathering) further reinforce the dangerous gamble that the Romney campaign is making that if Americans were to be harmed or held hostage between now and election day, the Romney campaign would attempt to use such a nightmare as a "game changer" in the 2012 election.

A key current Romney campaign thrust (even after the candidate's opportunistic Libyan fiasco) is to attack Obama on foreign policy. Given that this is an area of polling strength for Obama, one can possibly speculate that the Romney campaign is hoping for increased upheaval in the Middle East that will lead to either American deaths or hostages.

Does this sound just overbearingly cynical and unfair?

Not according to Romney's own words, as posted on Mother Jones, which included this note in their summary of the former governor's comments that day: "Envisioning a pre-election hostage crisis, à la Iran and Jimmy Carter, [Romney said], "If something of that nature presents itself, I will work to find a way to take advantage of the opportunity."

Romney's shocking statement came after a fat cat in the audience specifically brought up how Ronald Reagan used the Iranian hostage crisis to his campaign's advantage (allegedly having future CIA Director William Casey negotiate with the Iranian hostage holders to delay their release of the hostages until the moment of Reagan's inauguration in exchange for arms to fight Iraq at the time, according to many analysts).

[Enrique]

1. yes I will politicize American deaths

just what his donors want to hear, shows that they are backing a winner.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

2. Oops.."finding his way" consisted of recklessly popping off at the mouth the minute it happened.

asshole

[fleur-de-lisa]

3. It is truly frightening to think . . .

that this asshole believes he is entitled to the presidency. I hope his defeat by the POTUS is so humiliating that he tucks his forked tail between his legs and slithers away, never to be heard from again in political circles. Or anywhere, for that matter.

[Democat]

4. "I will work to find a way to take advantage of the opportunity"

Obama should bring this up at the debates.

I believe you called the honorable ambassador's death "an opportunity that you would take advantage of?"