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Romney and his teleprompter in Jerusalem.
Mitt Romney, speaking in Virginia today, on the Middle East;
"I know the president hopes for a safer, freer, and a more prosperous Middle East allied with the United States. I share this hope. But hope is not a strategy."
Mitt Romney, speaking to donors in Boca in May, on the Middle East:
"[S]o what you do is, you say, you move things along the best way you can. You hope for some degree of stability, but you recognize that this is going to remain an unsolved problem ... and we kick the ball down the field and hope that ultimately, somehow, something will happen and resolve it."
Hmm. It's almost as if what Romney says in private, when he thinks the public won't hear him, differs from what he says in public.
Indeed, towards the end of today's speech, Romney went on to say, "I will recommit America to the goal of a democratic, prosperous Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security with the Jewish state of Israel. On this vital issue, the president has failed, and what should be a negotiation process has devolved into a series of heated disputes at the United Nations. In this old conflict, as in every challenge we face in the Middle East, only a new president will bring the chance to begin anew."
Now, as a substantive matter, the notion that "a new president" who has no experience in or working understanding of foreign affairs will suddenly transform the peace process is pretty silly, but there's another, more obvious problem.
We know Romney doesn't mean what he's saying. We know this, of course, because Romney's said so.
The "47 percent" video didn't leave any ambiguities in this area. The Republican spoke of "the Palestinians" as a united bloc of one mindset, arguing, "I look at the Palestinians not wanting to see peace anyway, for political purposes, committed to the destruction and elimination of Israel, and these thorny issues, and I say there's just no way."
Romney then added he intends to show no leadership in this area at all, "hoping" -- remember, "hope is not a strategy" -- that someone other than the United States will somehow take the lead. If elected, "recommit America" to anything, except for letting others worry about the dispute after he "kicks the ball down the field."
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Isn't it wonderful to be a member of a cult that lets you lie without guilt? We should all be so lucky.
/snark
Mormons LIE??? Oh My NOOOOO!! Say it isn't so Mitt, Never mind...you'll just Lie AGAIN!!!!!!!
I really do not think it is any worse than any other religion. Some good and some bad. He is just the BAD!
Mormons lie? Yes. It is a tenet of the Mormontology Cult that lying to advance their religion is justifiable.
This is not a lie, it is comparing apples to oranges. Let me explain:
1. In the "private" conversation he was only talking about Israel and Palestine. Romney has said repeatedly there should be "no daylight" between the US and Israel. As long as Palestine doesn't want peace, there is little else that can be done.
2. In the "public" statement he was speaking in much more broader terms and in multiple situations where he says Obama has not shown leadership. He says it hands-off and hope something good happens.
Funny to me how this article is trying to make out that Romney is "lying" or saying the opposite things INSTEAD of defending President Obama's foreign policy against the charge. That speaks volumes.
Oh, and way to attack the man's religion. He hasn't made it a part of his campaign so you thought you would...cool,...and very tolerate.
Oh goody, Mr. False Equivalence himself has condescended to show us the egregious error of our ways.
He is tactfully dancing around the one truth--republicans love war.
So, RobDon, you obviously think that a) the Middle East doesn't include Israel and Palestine and b) a policy of hope only counts when Romney says it about Obama and not vice versa. He didn't say anything about Obama's actual policy, just that he (Romney) feels it's nothing more than hope. You are basically saying it's okay for him to lie. If a person lies, do you call them out on their lies or do you defend what they are lying about?
I guess that depends on your political affiliation.
RobDon - If Mormon religion falls under Christianity and we know Ryan is a Catholic than why do they constantly disregard two of the commandments:
5th: "Thou shalt not kill" - they only apply it to a fetus, however, collateral damage in War is okay?
8th: "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy Neighbor" - in other words thou shalt not lie - neither one of them would know the truth if it came up an bit them on their only claim to manhood.
Remember, Republicans create their own reality, thus Republican lies are not really lies but merely alternative realities!
Yes but remember, not only are republicans trying to suppress the vote but their coporate media cohorts are now refusing to do post election polling which indicates there will be huge discrepancies. They plan on stealing this election knowing they own the supreme court and Dems won't be able or willing to do anything about it.
There can be no worse person in the presidency than Mitt Romney who really wants to be Chairman of the World Board. Already trying to brow beat people into submission, there is not one person in the media willing to challenge publicly Mitt Romney or his con partner Lying Ryan.
Is there anything Dems can do now to prevent Romney stealing this election?
.....So he said privately that we have to have a hands-off approach and hope something better happens with the Middle East, and then said publicly that Obama's approach towards the Middle-East was a hands-off approach where he was hoping something would get better (with the implication being that this was bad). So, in other words, Benen is correct, but you're upset because you don't like Benen pointing this out? That you want Benen to point something else out that doesn't upset you as much???
Honestly Rob this criticism made no sense.
The Mormon faith believes they are the chosen people and that Israel is actually in the United States. Obviously Romney and Netanyahu could care less about this little fact.
Projection is a staple of the GOP, as shown here again. Romney has nothing to offer but hope - "You hope for some degree of stability, but you recognize that this is going to remain an unsolved problem ... and we kick the ball down the field and hope that ultimately, somehow, something will happen and resolve it." So the only thing he can do is try to project that onto Obama, who has actually been doing more than offer hope.
A vote for Rmoney = A vote for WAR! Which son will Romney send off to war? http://t.co/QFw9r2G4
Which son? Any son but his own. There will suddenly be a renewed need for Mormon missionairies in France.
One things for sure Whatever..it won't be Mittens sons. None of them have served, just like their Daddy.
Are you joking? Mitt sons will be on the beach taking pictures as Miitt did.
Not one of his son will be in the Military. Your sons,brothers,husbands, nieces,nephews, will be the ones in the WAR!
i'm a vietnam vet, during that period, he was in europe drawing hearts in the sand , so you know none his boys will ever dawn a uniform.
I, too, am a VietNam vet, 1968, Tet Offensive, assassination of MLK & Bobby Kennedy. I was drafted following graduation from college. Chose not to enlist as an officer, but wanted the "experience" of war to validate my opposition. (not a good reason, but that was my thinking at the time) I supported the Beyond War movement, VVAW and Nuclear Weapons Freeze. As I witness the insanity of war and violence as a "solution" to political, religious and social conflict, I realize that we, all of us, are in the midst of a spiritual transformation, whether we are religious, secular, atheist or DTS(decline to state). I realize that most who post here have deeply held beliefs about God, Spirit, Jesus, Mohammad, Gandhi, King, etc. and will argue until the end for their positions. Therein lies the dilemma: We will defend to the death...mostly of others...our position, without being willing to consider the validity of another's position and beliefs. Rigid beliefs are killing us and we may choose to hold fast without compromise, or we may consider that others have a valid point of view, based on their perception and perspective. Before planting your flag of belief in the solid ground, consider with whom you are sharing that ground. The Righteous will not inherit the earth; but they may destroy it, to prove they are Right.
I was never in Vietnam, but I spent more than a few years in the Armed Forces. If I had to do it over again, knowing what I know now, there is no way I would spend more than one enlistment in the Armed Forces.
I served in the Marine Corps. I was lucky to have only served one enlistment during a time when we were not in a war.
My hat is off to the Viet Nam Vets. I was but a child when our troops returned and I am truly saddened by the way they were treated when they got home. I was too young to know better or do anything, but I still feel sorry.
Our troops deserve so much more than to be pawns in a geopolitical game of chess.
May God Bless You All and keep your mind peaceful and your heart succored.
"Let's have a war!"
-Mitt Rmoney
PS: We'll send the 47% who feel they're entitled again!
That's the one part of the "47%" tape that I have no problem with. Mitt is being honest there, and he's right. Reagan tried, Bush I tried, Clinton tried. Even Bush II tried a little to resolve the Palestinian conflict.
It is simply not resolvable because the two sides cannot compromise externally and still survive internally.
The pitfall for Mitt is, he admitted this out loud and was caught on tape. It's a gaffe (accidentally saying the truth) but it does make him less believable when he spouts his "new American leadership" crap.
PS: I just LOVE how the telepromter reflects the "sky" in that photo.
It is simply not resolvable because the two sides cannot compromise externally and still survive internally.
That is a very succint, and wholly believable, observation. But still I think it only represents half the truth.
The US has had (And will continue to have) no credibility in any negotiations due to our partisan coddling of Israel.
I have no problem with his being honest either----and the middle east conflict as a whole is pretty much a no win situation. That part is correct. But then you don't preach about how another person is handling it and say how much better YOU would do if you were president. Those conflicts in the ME have been going on for thousands of years,and because their lives and religious beliefs are so connected they will most likely continue. That's not to say we shouldn't try to mediate if we can, but I sure don't want to throw more lives and money into the mix. It is what it is.
Exactly.
Actually, Mittster, foreign policy neophyte, as you shrilly say that 'hope is not a strategy' (which Obama never said) neither (and more importantly) is pre-emptive war on sovereign nations that never attacked us on 9/11. And wars that aren't thoroughly planned and an exit strategy, Mittzi, might be a good idea also. And also don't outsource the US interests to Israel (as it seems youd likely do). Israel is a foreign country. FOREIGN. they are not the US. our interests arent completely tied to theirs, and vice versa. i have no confidence in you at all that youd know what to do when it comes to our best interests overseas. you have ZERO experience in that arena. so you are disqualified on that. and sorry, sir, but Prez Obama has four years of experience. 4 more years than you.
...wars that ARE thoroughly planned...I meant to say.
This man scares the hell out of me. He says he will immediately recognize Jerusalem as the Capitol of Israel and this is not even mention by the government as something they want or need. They know this will inflame all Muslims in the Middle East and lead to immediate violence. This man is wanting to provoke a war and he is a danger to us and Israel and Palestine people who are moderates trying to move towards peace.
Mittflop's advisers are the same group of dominionist psychotic liars that led us into Iraq chasing phantom WMD when, in fact, their ideologies were the WMD. Ask the thousands of young men and women killed and maimed and the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi citizens "saved" by death and destruction.
Most of Mitt Romney's foreign policy term had served under Bush, including John Bolton (remember him? Neocon with a capital N). We will definitely be in a another war if this crew has anything to do with it.
ttp://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/07/26/1113827/-Knuckle-dragging-ultrahawks-dominate-Mitt-Romney-s-foreign-policy-team
What Romney does not realize is how this "shift" in his Palestinian position is going to hurt him with the hardliners. Adelson is not going to like this. The irony of having a man who insults Palestinian "culture" as being inferior to Israel as the big peacemaker is revolting.
I'm sure Willard's campaign will once again walk back most of what he said in his blathering speech. Isn't that how it works since the debate? Speak to the middle, then have your campaign walk it back?
@Nightwriter927 Since the conventions actually. Only the 47% apology was supposed to be walked back in front of the non-base. They were undoubtedly really pissed that it didn't come up in the debate. He had that damned apology rehearsed, but he couldn't bring it up unprompted or he wouldn't have looked sincere.
I have never heard more nothing strung together as "policy."
Its tourette syndrome policy , can you imagine the state dept trying to implementing this diatribe? With an owners manual that changes by the hour ?
and 48% of poll takers think the guy makes sense?
A compassionate Mitt Romney? Give me a break, I was appalled by his comments regarding Ann Romney’s family history.
Taken from the transcripts of the 47% video:
“Can you imagine working every day, taking a couple of jobs, saving your money so that your brother could go to—I mean, I would never do that for my brother—that he could go to co…so he went to college,” …Mitt Romney’s own words.
Unbelievable disrespect, If he wouldn’t help his own brother, what does he really value?
Polls are perhaps the most insidious aspect of American politics. One bad poll, an outlier, and the entire mainstream press is shouting that Obama ought to be impeached over one awkward debate performance. Romney is not the winner. The reality of the situation is that the president is in a very stable reelection position thanks to a booming economy and Mitt Romney's inherent flaws as a candidate. The GOP is embracing the most radical and anti-American agenda put forth by any of the major political parries since the Civil War. That is not a winning strategy. - progressive
I agree with everything you said there , and I have 90% faith in the obama team on all around governing
But what obama displayed the other night has been the main problem for dems the last 20 years imo, they think that some how being passive towards conservative policies will win them votes , or show leadership , when actually the exact opposite happens , and it ends up making them look weak , indecisive and wet noodled , there is a time to compromise, and they are terrible at the timing of it all ..... that would describe obamas debate performance in a nut shell
Right!
This is an old trick.
Remember Bush? Iraq=911 on the front page.
Next day Iraq NOT 911 ... buried inside section A or B.
Next day 911 = Iraq, day after, same thing.
Romney where everyone can see him: I believe this.
Romney back inside the bubble: I believe the other thing.
Just a variation on a game.
.
Willard 'the wise man' has spoken. Under President Willard, we will have a wise and successful foreign policy based upon increased militarization, increased bluster and bullying, and letting Benny NutAndYahoo dictate our Middle East policy. What could possibly go wrong with that?
I continue to find it unamazing that nobody working for the General 'we suck on the ameriKan publics teat' Electric Network can dare criticize NutAndYahoo or AIPAC. Or dare to speak the truth about Israeli treatment of the Palestineans.
And to think that if just a few more of us could afford one more big screen TV in one more room, this guy would be 20 points behind - not just one or 2 - for talking such gibberish.
This is what he's good at, being a two-faced president... If he got elected in November, he would for sure say one good thing to address state of the union and behind Americans' back, he would say another thing - Which is bad - of course.
Is there anything in the White Horse Prophecy about starting WWIII ?
I recall on the 47% tape he said should a conflict occur when he is in office he will kick the ball down the road.That statement keeps ringing in my ears.This is how he will handle anything because this is all about being able to say I was the president of the USA that is all he wants.Should a conflict come up his kids will be on the beaches in France just like he was during Vietnam.Saw the yellow stripe while he floundered writing I love Ann in the sand.
I agree, Willard just wants the title of President, another trophy to put on his mantle. It'll be fun! *eyeroll* HOWEVER....this is where the danger comes into play. The TP GOP will do their best to follow through with taking rights away from women, minorities, LGBT, etc. We will be at war in no time flat, all while paying higher taxes so the wealthy can pay less. Millions will be without healthcare, the ER will be their free clinic and insurance/med prices will skyrocket. The trickle down economics will destroy our country this time, along with all the oil drilling that will be done on our land/waters. Willard will just say....where do I sign. That's why it's very important to vote Democrats into the Senate now. We MUST fight against Tea Party policies.
I wonder if Romney really intends to enact "fees" on the middle class to raise revenue "without raising taxes" on same.
Repubs really like fees. They are never graduated (as income taxes are).
While he can claim that he kept his word, I say the money still came out of my pocket just as if it were a TAX.
No integrity
Same Old, Same Old Bush BS. The only time Mitt was honest was on the 47% video.
Mitt Rmoney "The Lizard of Oz". Like the wizard, but far less charming, he stands behind the curtain, hiding who he really is while he adjusts what the public sees on the other side. With the slightest motion of hand he changes his words, his policies, even his beliefs to fit the prevailing polls. It's hard to debate, talk to or talk about a snake oil salesman because he's slippery. Just when you think you have a hold on the real Rmoney, he slips away in the grass and turns up over there, out of reach.
If the American people are willing to risk putting this kind of dishonest, insubstantial human being in charge while the Middle East is so precarious, we deserve whatever we get. But does the world?
So have the retraction from Romneys Staff come out yet?
Some pundits are saying Romney is benefiting now for finally showing himself to the public. Some are calling for him to bring up his past in his church. I guess showing Rev. Jeremiah Wright at his church is fair game.
Here's a link that shows what the Romneys wedding ceremony was like. Boring, some chanting, lots of hand signs, and a creation movie that plays like Star Trek (Our world was created by Michael the Archangel, Kolob is like a Chitauri platform in space).
http://archive.org/details/MormonTempleCeremony
Dishonesty is Mitts way.
He actually said nothing today..........other than America should be strong, and brave. We are, we already know.........all the other stuff was just bullschitt, with no specifics. He offers nothing different. He needs to stop lying and tell us what policies he plans on.
http://youtu.be/UdV0TdsYp9g
Mitt's massive mendacity makes my head hurt.
He got me when he said Obama had not signed any trade agreements in four years. Just remembering the consternation on the right after he side the South American trade deals.