President Obama and John McCain clashed over whether to invade Pakistan to get bin Laden
There's so much wrong with
this:
TILTON, N.H. -- Rick Santorum downplayed President Obama's decision to order the assassination of Osama bin Laden, saying it "wasn't a strategic decision," but rather dictated by policies put in place by his predecessor.
"The Obama administration has been an abject failure on every front on foreign policy when it comes to problems that have come up on his watch," Santorum said during a campaign stop.
"And of course he would say, 'Oh, we got bin Laden.' Well, I would say, 'The problems that came up under his watch.' Getting bin Laden was a continuation of policy that was set by the Bush administration. All he did, and I give him credit, after being pressured for a long time, in which he held off on all the reports, he finally conceded to go after him. And I think it was the right move."
First, President Obama didn't simply follow Bush policies. He ordered U.S. forces into Pakistan to accomplish this mission, something that Republicans—including John McCain, as you can see in the video at the top of this post—long opposed.
Second, unlike President Bush, President Obama didn't take a live and let live attitude towards bin Laden. While Bush said he didn't care what happened to bin Laden, President Obama made sure he was brought to justice. He didn't "concede" to go after bin Laden—he made it happen. Where Bush failed, he succeeded.
Finally, President Obama's foreign policy and national security policy—while not perfect—represent a dramatic improvement over the Bush administration, if for no other reason than that under President Obama, the Iraq war has ended and the war in Afghanistan will end. President Bush not only needlessly invaded Iraq, he recklessly prolonged conflicts, jeopardizing American national security.
Rick Santorum doesn't come close to measuring up to President Obama when it comes to foreign policy judgment. Ten years ago, President Obama was speaking out against the Iraq war—and Rick Santorum was doing everything in his power to make it happen. He's as wrong now as he was then.