Romney will have to revert back to his bullying entourage of lie attacks on Obama for the upcoming FOREIGN POLICY debate. He literally has NO FOREIGN POLICY experience and he has never really like talking about it, for some very obvious reasons: Bain Capital has tentacles that reach into and benefit from most countries, regardless of their politics, including Iran.
Apparently, the McCain team put together a 200 page dossier on Romney during the 2008 GOP Candidate primaries. Here's is Item #1 under the Subtitle Foreign Policy, Executive Summary:
Romney has no foreign policy experience.
Under the following subtitle named Experience this:
Romney’s Foreign Affairs Resume Is Extremely Thin, Leading To Credibility Problems
Again, if this is in fact the McCain team's dossier, it was compiled to help McCain run AGAINST Romney. This is what makes this document interesting.
Here's are the items the McCain found most aggregious from page 9.
In typical form, the McCain team highlights their opponent, Mitt, as left leaning as well.
FOREIGN POLICY
Romney has no foreign policy experience.
Though generally described as a supporter of the president’s policy in Iraq, Romney came under fire in April 2007 for advocating “secret” withdrawal timetable similar to proposal by Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR).
In June 2007, Romney stepped up his criticism of the Bush Administration’s Iraq policy by publicly denouncing the White House’s comparison of future troop presence in Iraq to our current presence in South Korea.
Romney hedged on endorsing troop surge and has been criticized for not talking enough about Iraq. During June 2006 presidential debate, Romney incorrectly claimed weapons inspectors were not allowed to enter Iraq before the 2003 U.S. invasion.
When Romney finally endorsed the president’s troop surge proposal, he unintentionally endorsed larger surge than was proposed by calling for extra regiment in Anbar province.
Romney said capturing Osama bin Laden would result in “very insignificant increase in safety” for America and such effort was “not worth moving heaven and earth and spending billions of dollars” to catch one person.
After calling for economic divestment from Iran, Romney was embarrassed by revelation that the Italian branch of Bain & Company – firm where Romney started as young consultant and served as CEO in early ‘90s – received $2.3 million contract from National Iranian Oil Company in 2004.
Bain Capital, the private equity firm that made Romney his fortune, currently owns a chemicals and paint company called SigmaKalon that operates an office in Tehran.
Romney has made favorable comments about plan offered by Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) to split Iraq into thirds. Romney has proposed doubling the size of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility and supports “enhanced
interrogation techniques.”
Romney called Cuban president Fidel Castro a “monster” and has taken hard line against the dictator, but mistakenly employed signature Castro slogan while speaking to largely Hispanic audience in Miami this year.
Romney praised 2005 plan by Citgo Petroleum Corp. – ultimately controlled by the Venezuelan government and President Hugo Chavez – to provide low-income Massachusetts residents with discounted heating oil.
And what a team
Foreign Policy team Romney has!
Foreign Policy and National Security Advisory Team
(announced Oct. 6, 2011)
Special advisors Cofer Black (Blackwater/Xe/Academi) - Christopher Burnham -
Michael Chertoff - Officials Slammed For Cashing In On Government Experience
Eliot Cohen - Warning! Romney Wants to Send America Back to War
Norm Coleman -Coleman is back in a GOP seat of power
John Danilovich - Trilantic Capital Partners, appraising/sourcing European deal flow.
Paula Dobriansky - PNAC
Eric Edelman -
Michael Hayden -
Kerry Healey -
Kim Holmes -
Robert Joseph -
Robert Kagan -
John Lehman -
Walid Phares -
Pierre Prosper -
Mitchell Reiss -
Daniel Senor -
Jim Talent -
Vin Weber -
Richard Williamson -
Dov Zakheim.
also regional and functional working groups. (added Nov. 29, 2011) Congresswoman ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart and former Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart.
In short,
Knuckle-dragging ultrahawks dominate Mitt Romney's foreign policy team
The list is a compilation of dangerous thinking people, imo. And they have essentially built a shadow Homeland Security, as the article states linked to Michael Chertoff above, who also helped in the sale of Blackwater to a private equity firm with the help of Bank of America.
I SEE WORLD WAR III when I look at this list of theocratic war hawks.
On page 67, the team goes into much greater detail, providing sources for all of their listed Romney issues:
IRAQ
I
n April 2007, Romney Came Under Fire For Advocating “Secret” Withdrawal Timetable Similar To Proposal By Democrat Senator (ABC’s “Good Morning America,” 4/3/07)
IRAN
Romney Has Staked Out Early, Aggressive Position On Confronting Iran’s Nuclear Ambitions While Seeming To Rule Out Option Of Military Action (ABC’s “This Week,”
2/16/07
“I think the president has whatever authority is necessary to protect this country and protect our troops. I think [the] Iranian military has been involved in the conflict in Iraq. Iranians have supported the attack on our soldiers. But I don’t think for a minute that this president is intent on attacking Iran. That’s not where we’re aiming. That’s not going to happen. We have no interest in going into Iran.”
Romney Backs Tough Diplomatic And Economic Sanctions On Iranian Government.
“Iran is not acting like a very civilized member of the world society. Iran’s sins go well beyond taking these hostages. They go to a nuclear program which has far more reaching implications for the world and it’s time for us to truly tighten down the screws economically on Iran, to put in place diplomatic sanctions which make it very clear to all the people in Iran, that they’re a rogue state, that they are a pariah and then to work with local or surrounding moderate Islamic states to get them to get on our side to also pressure Iran.” (Fox News’ “The Big Story,” 4/3/07)
ROMNEY’S FORMER COMPANIES HAVE BUSINESS TIES TO IRAN
French Oil Company Total SA Has Deep Ties To Iran – In 2002 Bain Capital Purchased Total’s Chemicals Business, Including Its Office In Tehran (Glen Johnson, “Company’s Links To Iran Undercut Romney’s Call For Divestment,” The Associated Press, 2/23/07
In 2004, Bain & Company’s Italian Branch Inked Consulting Deal With Iran’s State-Run Oil Company
)
The dossier makes it very clear that Romney doesn't know anything about foreign policy and, when Romney does talk out, he often gets it all wrong. An example on page 73:
During GOP Presidential Debate In South Carolina, Romney Incorrectly Claimed Weapons Inspectors Were Not Allowed To Enter Iraq Before 2003 U.S. Invasion (Michael Scherer, “Romney On Those Gaffes,” Salon.com, 6/9/07)
Foreign Policy is Romney's soft underbelly. I predict the debate will be ROMNEY UNGLUED
The GOP is trying to make the sad circumstances of Benghazi into an event on the magnitude of 911, with Congressional investigations, etc. Where was the GOP after 911?
This article is a pretty good tip off on the issues Romney will try to use to his advantage
Romney to compare Benghazi to original 9/11 attacks
In a conference call with campaign foreign-policy coordinator Alex Wong and senior advisors Rich Williamson and Eliot Cohen"
Wong said that Obama has stepped away from American leadership and undermined the basis of American power. He also said the standing of the United States has been weakened in every region of the world, and likened Obama's foreign policy to that of former President Jimmy Carter.
I think we can definitely hear Romney use the name of Jimmy Carter as a psy-op move to equate Obama with one-term President Carter.
Williamson said that Obama has a policy of weakness that is provocative to enemies and that his administration hasn't been transparent on the Benghazi attacks.
Weakness. That is word that will be used for sure because Romney's WEAKNESS is that Mitt has NO foreign policy experience!
The foreign policy of Barack Obama in the Middle East is a mess and is failing, and that should be a part of the discussion," Williamson said.
A mess and failing. I'd like to ask for a 5 page, double spaced report from Romney Et Al listing specifics.
Not to worry. Our team has a candidate WITH FOUR YEARS OF FOREIGN POLICY EXPERIENCE.
From the same article:
The Obama campaign preemptively released a statement calling Romney a neophyte and flip-flopper on foreign policy who has fumbled his forays into foreign-policy issues throughout the campaign.
"If Mitt Romney wants to have a debate about foreign policy, we have a message for him: bring it on... To date, all Mitt Romney has offered is bluster and platitudes. He's erratically shifted positions on every major foreign policy issue, including intervening in Libya, which he was against before he was for," Obama for America spokeswoman Liz Smith said in the statement.
"'Mainstream' foreign policy isn't what Mitt Romney is putting forward:
1. having plans to start wars but not end them;
2. wanting to keep 30,000 U.S. troops in Iraq indefinitely;
3. exploding our defense spending to levels the Pentagon has not asked for, with no way to pay for it;
4. insulting our allies and partners around the world on the campaign trail;
5. and calling Russia our number-one geopolitical foe.
If that's where Mitt Romney thinks the mainstream is, he needs to find a better compass. It's clear that on every measure, Mitt Romney fails the commander-in-chief test."
Who picked the topic Foreign Policy for the last debate, btw.