Mitt Romney's pathetic efforts to stain the President's track record when it comes to foreign policy ring hollow and are actually dangerous, or could be. During his news conference yesterday, President Obama addressed Mitt Romney's irresponsible comments about war with Iran in recent days. Here's a sample:
“Yet, the current administration has promoted a policy of engagement with Iran,” he continued. “The president not only dawdled in opposing sanctions, he’s opposed them. Hope is not a foreign policy. The only thing respected by thugs and tyrants is our resolve, backed by our power and our readiness to use it.”
Earlier this week in Snellville, Georgia, Romney told an 11-year-old boy that the world would be one step closer to nuclear war if President Barack Obama was allowed another term in office.
“If Barack Obama gets re-elected, Iran will have a nuclear weapon and the world will change if that’s the case,” he said.
This follows on the heels of his irresponsible statements at the last debate about how he, and he alone, would prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
President Obama had some choice words for him and any other Republican candidate who thinks war with Iran is a good idea.
OBAMA: At this stage, it is my belief that we have a window of opportunity where this can still be resolved diplomatically. That's not just my view -- that's the view of our top intelligence officials, it's the view of top Israeli intelligence officials. And as a consequence, we are going to continue to apply the pressure, even as we provide a door for the Iranian regime to walk through, where they could rejoin the community of nations, by giving assurances to the international community that they are meeting their obligations and they are not pursuing a nuclear weapon. That's my track record.
Now, what's said on the campaign trail, you know, those folks don't have a lot of responsibilities. They're not commander in chief. And when I see the casualness with which some of these folks talk about war, I'm reminded of the costs involved in war. I'm reminded of the decision that I have to make, in terms of sending our young men and women into battle, and the impacts that has on their lives, the impact it has on our national security, the impact it has on our economy.
This is not a game, and there's nothing casual about it. And, you know, when I see some of these folks who had a lot of bluster and a lot of big talk, but when you actually ask them, specifically, what they would do, it turns out they repeat the things that we've been doing over the last three years. It indicates to me that that's more about politics than actually trying to solve a difficult problem.
Now, the one thing that we have not done, is we haven't launched a war. If some of these folks think that it's time to launch a war, they should say so. and they should explain to the American people exactly why they would do that and what the consequences would be. Everything else is just talk.
It's not just the President who thinks they're being irresponsible with their "loose talk of war," either. The former director of the Mossad spoke out, saying Romney is actually making the situation worse with Iran. The National Security Network has a roundup of other condemnations by highly respected current and former officials also condemning it, and reminding people that war is not "another applause line."
Doesn't the Republican drumbeat for war with Iran feel a lot like the drumbeat for war with Iraq back in 2003? It does to me, and so let me just remind readers and casual visitors alike that there is no evidence of Iran actually having a nuclear weapon. Further, Iran has agreed to restart talks with the world community and agreed in principle to allow nuclear inspectors to visit the Parchin site. Saying so doesn't make it so, but it's certainly a step in the right direction.
It frustrates me to see Republicans warmonger to create a campaign wedge, but I don't understand why they think they'll succeed. This is a war-weary nation and support for another war is almost nil. What do they think they gain with this kind of "loose talk"?
