"In Search of Answers From Mr. Romney" Editorial at the NY Times

[applegrove]

In Search of Answers From Mr. Romney

Editorial at the NY Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/09/opinion/searching-for-romneys-foreign-policy.html?_r=0&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1349835752-z7O503H0/0Pvx1r+IXWhaA

"SNIP......................................................

Mr. Romney’s stated policies in Monday’s speech, just as they have been in the past, are either pretty much like Mr. Obama’s or, when there are hints of differences, would pull the United States in wrong and even dangerous directions. His analysis of the roots of various international crises is either naïve or deliberately misleading.

One new element is Mr. Romney’s assertion that the threats have “grown worse.” He desperately wants to undercut the edge that voters have given Mr. Obama on foreign policy, even before he ordered the killing of Osama bin Laden. But he offers no real evidence to back up that particular claim, and if it were true that the threats have been so much worse for so long, it’s odd that Mr. Romney hasn’t really talked about them before.

..............................................

Mr. Romney continues to fault Mr. Obama for not leading on Syria, where thousands have died at the hands of President Bashar al-Assad’s forces. While he says he would make sure the rebels get the weapons they need, he never answers the bottom-line question: Should the United States go to war there?

He said he would toughen sanctions on Iran. If he intends to go beyond what Mr. Obama is already doing with international support, he should say so and spell it out. Otherwise, the only room he leaves to the right of Mr. Obama’s policy is to wage war on Iran — a catastrophically foolish idea that most Americans recognize as folly.

......................................................SNIP"

[Indpndnt]

1. I'd say the NYT does not much care for Willard and has zero respect for him.

Bummer.

[applegrove]

2. LOL! (It's a good thing)

[Cha]

3. NYT Editorial Asking Good Questions!

While others in the media let him get away with his hog slop.

Thanks for this, applegrove!

[starroute]

4. Has anybody asked about this Syria proposal of his . . .

Whether it's a good idea to put lots of advanced weaponry in the hands of people who might use them to become rules of a country that historically has not been exactly friendly to Israel?

For that matter, has anybody asked whether the Israelis themselves want to see that sort of weaponry poured into Syria?

Oh, guess what -- I just went looking and found a Kos diary quoting an Obama adviser as saying much the same thing. Good.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/10/09/1142087/-Romney-Policy-Arm-Rebels-with-Heavy-Weapons-could-cause-Israeli-Airliners-to-be-shot-down

Last night on CNN, President Obama's National Security Adviser to his campaign, Colin Kahl said:

KAHL: I will just say that Governor Romney wants to give the opposition heavy weapons, to include weapons to shoot down Syrian fighter jets. Well, guess what? Those same weapons systems could shoot down Israeli airliners, which is why the Israelis don't want us to do that.

[jsr]

5. "Mr. Romney repeated an outright lie"

There we go.