Mitt Romney: Foreign Policy Novice

Romney Tried To Shy Away From Issues Of Foreign Policy And Defense

Romney: "A President Is Not A Foreign Policy Expert. A President Is A Leader Who Understands How To Make Difficult Decisions." During an appearance on Fox's Hannity & Colmes, Mitt Romney insisted that presidents do not need foreign policy experience.  He said: "Well, if we want somebody who has a lot of experience in foreign policy, we can simply go to the State Department and pluck out one of the tens of thousands of people who work there. They, of course, have been doing foreign policy all their careers.  But that's not how we choose a president. A president is not a foreign policy expert. A president is a leader who understands how to make difficult decisions and does so in a way that brings together the best voices, that considers the upsides and downsides and predicts the credibility and the strength that America has always projected in circumstances like this... So the kind of experience you want is someone who knows how to make difficult decisions, to bring together the right people that consider the various options that you have, and then to act with strength and resolve." [Fox News, Hannity & Colmes, 12/27/07]

Romney: "I Wouldn't Presume As A Governor To Try And Weigh In On A Matter Which Is Outside Gubernatorial Turf."  An article in the Boston Globe featured Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney discussing the war in Iraq.  He said: "I think the president is in the unenviable position of knowing he has responsibility for protecting the security of hundreds of millions and knowing that he puts thousands in harm's way to do so... And it's an extraordinary obligation and burden that the president faces." He later added, "I wouldn't presume as a governor to try and weigh in on a matter which is outside gubernatorial turf." [Boston Globe, 8/23/05]

Now We Know Why:

Romney Cited Military Bases In Saudi Arabia As An Opportunity To "Have A Presence" In The Middle East.  As reported by the Associated Press: "Romney noted that the U.S. has bases in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar, and said: 'We can have a presence in the region, but I think that at this time we need to exercise care not to communicate to insurgents something that they can use to say 'Ah ha! America does intend to be an occupier forever!'" [Associated Press, 6/7/07]

• CIA: "All Operational US Troops Left The Country In 2003." The CIA's World Factbook states: "The continuing presence of foreign troops on Saudi soil after the liberation of Kuwait became a source of tension between the royal family and the public until all operational US troops left the country in 2003." [CIA World Factbook, accessed 8/6/08]

Romney Mistakenly Believed Iraq Banned IAEA Weapons Inspectors From Entering The Country.  During a Republican Debate on CNN, Mitt Romney said: "Well, the question is, kind of, a non sequitur, if you will. What I mean by that -- or a null set -- that is that if you're saying let's turn back the clock and Saddam Hussein had opening up his country to IAEA inspectors and they'd come in and they'd found that there were no weapons of mass destruction, had Saddam Hussein therefore not violated United Nations resolutions, we wouldn't be in the conflict we're in.  But he didn't do those things, and we knew what we knew at the point we made the decision to get in." [CNN Republican Debate, 6/5/07]

• The U.N. Was, In Fact, Allowed In Iraq & Found No Evidence Of Weapons Of Mass Destruction. The British newspaper The Guardian wrote an article featuring remarks by the Chief U.N. Weapons Inspector, Hans Blix. He said: "One cannot say there was compelling evidence. Iraq was guilty only of small infractions. The government should have re-evaluated its assessment in the light of what the inspectors found... We reported consistently that we found no weapons of mass destruction and I carried out inspections at sites given to us by US and British intelligence and not found anything." [Guardian, 4/28/05; emphasis added]

While In China, "Romney Stumbled Over Relatively Straightforward Geopolitical Issues." According to the Boston Globe, while on a trip in China: "Romney stumbled over relatively straightforward geopolitical issues: Romney had to ask the US Embassy staff accompanying him the value of the Chinese renminbi to the US dollar, despite the fact that this is one of the hottest economic issues between Washington and Beijing.  The business students also smirked when Romney asserted that the United States believes in free trade. Recent threats by Washington to levy tariffs on Chinese products and continued US opposition to China's demands that it lift agricultural subsidies have made locals skeptical of that assertion." [Boston Globe, 12/9/06]

AP: Romney "Has Been Ticking Through A Presidential Checklist, Sometimes With Perilous Results." As reported in the Associated Press:"As Mitt Romney transitions from one-term governor to presidential candidate, he has been ticking through a presidential checklist, sometimes with perilous results.  Where he lacked foreign policy experience, his staff arranged one-day visits to Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.  Check, check, check.  Where there were questions about Second Amendment issues, he enrolled as a 'lifetime' member of the National Rifle Association.  Check again." [Associated Press, 3/25/07; emphasis added]

UPDATE: The National Security Network's Democracy Arsenal blog has more on Romney's speech.