Spain quip adds to Romney's foreign policy trouble

WASHINGTON (AP) — If Mitt Romney becomes president, he might need a crash course in Diplomacy 101.

He irritated Britons and Palestinians during a summer tour abroad and has declared Russia to be America's No. 1 geopolitical foe. Just last week, the Republican candidate, who plans a foreign policy speech Monday, raised eyebrows in Spain by holding it up as a prime example of government spending run amok.

That left Spaniards confused, and threatened to reinforce Romney's perceived handicap in international affairs.

"I don't want to go down the path of Spain," Romney said Wednesday night during the first presidential debate. He argued that government spending under Obama has reached 42 percent of the U.S. economy, a figure comparable with America's NATO ally. "I want to go down the path of growth that puts Americans to work."

The remark was Romney's latest to cause international offense during a campaign that much of the world is closely monitoring.

The sensitivity reflects a wide understanding that Romney could prevail over President Barack Obama and take over as leader of the world's top military, economic and diplomatic power. If Romney becomes commander in chief, he could face a testy beginning with Europe's economic laggards such as Greece, Italy and Spain, whom he has beaten up regularly throughout the campaign.

No one contests that Spain's situation is dire, its economy in deep recession and unemployment hovering around 25 percent. But Spain's level of government spending is actually low by European standards, and significantly less than Germany and Scandinavian countries with far healthier economic prospects. Spain's woes were chiefly caused by the collapse of a property bubble that had fueled more than a decade of booming economic growth.

Spanish reaction to Romney was swift.

"What I see is ignorance of what is reality, but especially of the potential of the Spanish economy," said Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria.


There you have it Willard pisses off another country.

It must be just a little game with the Mitt to while away the hours between actual work.

. . . I think he probably has a map of the world and his staff will throw a dart for him to determine what random country he will piss off next!

Militants scaled the walls of the U.S. embassy in Cairo, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton described it as a “small, savage” group that "attacked the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya with rockets and guns. The U.S. ambassador, J. Christopher Stevens, and three other diplomats died in that assault on American sovereignty. The televised images of extremists joyfully tearing up an American flag—taken from the Cairo embassy—may drive down Obama’s perceived advantage on foreign policy.

It is hard to guess what voters could find so appealing: the euro crisis continues to roil America’s largest trading partners, the Arab Spring has replaced American allies with radicals, Iran’s continues to build an atomic weapon, while China and Russia are increasingly aggressive in both military and diplomatic spheres. The world has become even more dangerous on Obama’s watch."

http://www.forbes.com/sites/richardm...ing-bin-laden/


Obama's foreign policy follies

The attack on the U.S. consulate in Libya is only the latest failure of the president's kick-the-can approach.
October 02, 2012|Jonah Goldberg

It's Day 20 for the Benghazi CSI-team hostage crisis. That's how long an FBI forensic team has been trying to gain access in Libya to what the State Department still calls a crime scene — the Obama administration's preferred term for the location of the first assassination of a U.S. ambassador since 1979 and the first successful Al Qaeda-backed attack on U.S. soil since the 9/11 strikes (our embassies and consulates are sovereign U.S. territory).

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/oct...olicy-20121002


Foreign policy failure costs lives; Clinton fails and Obama is AWOL

Suddenly foreign policy is center stage.

I usually don't comment of foreign policy issues: with so much wrong in our country, one has to pick battles. But with this blunder, my background of twenty-two years with the intelligence community and two degrees in international relations compel me to speak out.

The last time a U.S. ambassador was killed, Carter was president. A friend of mine was among the hostages in Tehran; another barely got a flight out as the crisis unfolded. A classmate was killed at Desert One. This situation is personal. It was also avoidable. Easily.

First, a bit of background. Foreign Service officers are highly trained and motivated professionals. They know their job takes them to dangerous places. They are protected not only by a few U.S. Marine guards, but by the law of civilized nations, which affords special status to ambassadors and embassies. Even in the age of the Internet, that's how nations officially communicate with each other.

First and foremost, then, it was the responsibility of the Libyan government to protect embassies on their territory. They failed but they did at least try to warn us. In countries like Libya, the government is not in complete control. The State Department knows this. They have plans for these kinds of situations.

The State Department failed. The Secretary of State owns the failure.
Instead, she asks what happened, thereby highlighting her incompetence. She ought to tender her resignation immediately. She won't. She wants to run for president in 2016.

Within the intelligence community, we have a standard that says that critical intelligence has to reach the White House Situation Room within ten minutes of discovery. That standard applied in 1980, even without the instant forms of communication we have today and it was almost always met. The Sit Room passes the information to the president via his daily briefings or sooner as required. Only this president wasn't taking his briefings. He failed as well.

http://communities.washingtontimes.c...e-costs-lives/

No body likes public criticism and no body enjoys having their shortcomings exposed. Unfortunately, when candidates speak painful truth rather than accept the pain and bear the truth politicians in "harms way" of the criticism strke back in order to curry favor with their constituents.

Do we want to follow in Spain's footsteps? Aren't Russians and Chinese our largest immediate threats? How can a candidate piss off another country? Smoke and mirrors. Ok, Romney ain't gonna get the "Spanish" vote! The Germans ain't gonna vote for him. And nor will the French.

Geeeezz. He has no chance now!

All these headlines about others pissing off the world are simply acts of disperation to deflect the realties of the incompetence of Obaminable. Who spoke up when Obaminable killed the missile defense deal? Who spoke up when Obaminable promised better things to the Russians if he gets re-elected? Who spoke up when he dismissed the Israelis? His pissed off the Germans, and various countries throughout the EU.

The second debate for Obaminable is coming. He'll be just fine.

After all he was .... "Harvard Law Review"!

WASHINGTON (AP) — If Mitt Romney becomes president, he might need a crash course in Diplomacy 101.

He irritated Britons and Palestinians during a summer tour abroad and has declared Russia to be America's No. 1 geopolitical foe. Just last week, the Republican candidate, who plans a foreign policy speech Monday, raised eyebrows in Spain by holding it up as a prime example of government spending run amok.

That left Spaniards confused, and threatened to reinforce Romney's perceived handicap in international affairs.

"I don't want to go down the path of Spain," Romney said Wednesday night during the first presidential debate. He argued that government spending under Obama has reached 42 percent of the U.S. economy, a figure comparable with America's NATO ally. "I want to go down the path of growth that puts Americans to work."

The remark was Romney's latest to cause international offense during a campaign that much of the world is closely monitoring.

The sensitivity reflects a wide understanding that Romney could prevail over President Barack Obama and take over as leader of the world's top military, economic and diplomatic power. If Romney becomes commander in chief, he could face a testy beginning with Europe's economic laggards such as Greece, Italy and Spain, whom he has beaten up regularly throughout the campaign.

No one contests that Spain's situation is dire, its economy in deep recession and unemployment hovering around 25 percent. But Spain's level of government spending is actually low by European standards, and significantly less than Germany and Scandinavian countries with far healthier economic prospects. Spain's woes were chiefly caused by the collapse of a property bubble that had fueled more than a decade of booming economic growth.

Spanish reaction to Romney was swift.

"What I see is ignorance of what is reality, but especially of the potential of the Spanish economy," said Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria.

There you have it Willard pisses off another country. Originally Posted by BigLouie

What's the big deal?

Politician's point out bad decisions made by other countries all the time.

The new French President Hollande promised to raise taxes on high incomes to 75%. The British government, including David Cameron, rather gleefully announced they will gladly smooth the transition for any French businesses looking to re-locate across the channel.

In fact, they weren't just criticizing a bad French economic plan, they were actually announcing their plans to undermine it before it was even implemented.

I say, good show, old chaps!

I think everyone knows the problems that Spain, Greece, Italy and other European countries are having.

There is no need and no benefit to rub the problem in their noses as Romney seems to revel in.

Beyond the actual vote, a President does well to court the goodwill of the world rather than its scorn.

He is supposed to act Presidential and that requires wisdom and knowing when to speak and when to hold your counsel.

As for the next Presidential debate, you're only being wishful if you expect a repeat of the last debate.

President Obama now has positive proof that his policies are bearing fruit with the latest unemployment figures and he's coming out of the gate swinging.

. . . The Mitt will get hit!

No body likes public criticism and no body enjoys having their shortcomings exposed. Unfortunately, when candidates speak painful truth rather than accept the pain and bear the truth politicians in "harms way" of the criticism strke back in order to curry favor with their constituents.

Do we want to follow in Spain's footsteps? Aren't Russians and Chinese our largest immediate threats? How can a candidate piss off another country? Smoke and mirrors. Ok, Romney ain't gonna get the "Spanish" vote! The Germans ain't gonna vote for him. And nor will the French.

Geeeezz. He has no chance now!

All these headlines about others pissing off the world are simply acts of disperation to deflect the realties of the incompetence of Obaminable. Who spoke up when Obaminable killed the missile defense deal? Who spoke up when Obaminable promised better things to the Russians if he gets re-elected? Who spoke up when he dismissed the Israelis? His pissed off the Germans, and various countries throughout the EU.

The second debate for Obaminable is coming. He'll be just fine.

After all he was .... "Harvard Law Review"! Originally Posted by LexusLover

I think everyone knows the problems that Spain, Greece, Italy and other European countries are having.

There is no need and no benefit to rub the problem in their noses as Romney seems to revel in.

He is supposed to act Presidential and that requires wisdom and knowing when to speak and when to hold your counsel.

Originally Posted by Fast Gunn

He is running for President of the United States ...

.... Obama was trying for "the world." He failed miserably.

Unfortunately Obama has been "acting" Presidential .....

..... he has not been Presidential (of the United States).

1. Obaminable is not "wise"
2. He doesn't know when to speak
3. He doesn't have counsel, and he's inept as his own.

He's already been told by the EU to mind his own business. I don't think any of them followed his suit ... they do not respect him, so what he says is unimportant and of no consequence.

Any thing Obaminable does in his next debate will be an improvement ..

... the problem he will have is trying to remember his script.

Acting is not easy.

Big Louise, are you saying you WANT us to go down the same path as Spain?

Greece and Spain are great examples of where we are heading if we don't change our fiscal and monetary policies. Spain can complain all they want. Guess who they will be asking for help.