Trapped in the 80s, A Delusional Mitt Romney Thinks He’s Ronald Reagan

Last updated on March 30th, 2012 at 08:32 pm

It is often the case that outside observers have an accurate understanding of the mindset of a politician party because their perspective is not tainted by propaganda and innuendo based on fantasy and misinformation. Americans have a difficult enough time discerning Willard Romney’s mindset on myriad subjects because he lacks intransience of commitment and his intent on returning to a by-gone era based on Reagan mythos and subterfuge implies a weak-minded sycophant. Willard may fool Americans with his alleged foreign policy acumen and fantasies of cowboy diplomacy, but Russian President Dmitry Medvedev clearly understands Romney is out-of-touch with reality.

On Monday, Romney asserted that Russia was the United States’ “No. 1 geopolitical foe,† and it prompted Medvedev to tell Romney to “look at his watch.†On the final day of a nuclear security summit in Asia, Medvedev said to Romney that “we are in 2012 and not the mid-1970s†and gave some sage advice to all presidential candidates. “Regarding ideological clichés, every time this or that side uses phrases like ‘enemy No. 1,’ this always alarms me, this smells of Hollywood and certain times [in the past],” he said. “I would recommend all U.S. presidential candidates … to do two things. First, when phrasing their position one needs to use one’s head, one’s good reason, which would not do harm to a presidential candidate.” Obviously, Medvedev, like the rest of the world, harkens back to 2002 when George W. Bush stated categorically in his State of the Union Address that Iran, Iraq, and North Korea constituted an “axis of evil.†America invaded Iraq and Romney is impersonating Bush in guaranteeing cowboy diplomacy to deal with Iran if he is elected as president and he gave every indication he will be a warmonger when he lashed out at Medvedev and criticized President Obama’s foreign policy.

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Romney penned an editorial condemning President Obama’s foreign policy as being “pliant on missile defense and other areas of nuclear security†and “bowing to the Kremlin.†Willard is promoting a Star Wars missile defense system that Reagan fantasized about to aim warheads at Russia. Romney also assailed President Obama for ingratiating himself with the Kremlin because of a “personal phone call that Barack Obama made to Vladimir Putin from Air Force One congratulating the Russian leader on his election as Russia’s next president.†Then, Romney stated that the American people “need the backbone and courage of a Ronald Reagan. In his dealings with the Kremlin, as in his dealings with the rest of the world, President Obama has demonstrated breathtaking weakness — and given the word “flexibility” a new and ominous meaning.†Romney is wrong and it shows his stunning lack of comprehension of diplomacy that is not meted out at the end of a barrel. The extent of Romney’s foreign policy experience is sending American jobs to China and baptizing ignorant French people into his Mormon cult as a coward-in-hiding during the Viet Nam war.

As far as Reagan’s courage and backbone, that is another fantasy Romney and Republicans parrot as obeisance to their man-turned-god. In 1982, Reagan sent Marines to Beirut as part of a multi-national force, and after two suicide bombings claimed the lives of 258 Americans, Reagan cut and run prompting Osama bin Laden to write that Reagan’s cowardice “proves the U.S. is a paper tiger.†Reagan was also instrumental in secretly sending billions of dollars in military aid to the Mujahedeen in Afghanistan that led to the rise of Osama bin Laden’s al Qaeda terrorist network; the rest is history until President Obama fulfilled his campaign promise to kill the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 terror attacks. If Romney believes Americans need the backbone and courage of Ronald Reagan, he is living in a dream-state based on mythology and outright lies.

Romney may not appreciate President Obama’s steady diplomacy and willingness to use the full weight and force of the military when all other options have been exhausted, but other world leaders do. Last month, England’s conservative Prime Minister lauded President Obama’s strength, moral authority, and wisdom in his foreign policy. Cameron said Obama displayed wisdom because he “has not rushed into picking fights,†and displayed strength “when required to defend his national interests.†Mr. Cameron defined President Obama’s moral authority as understanding “that the means matter every bit as much as the ends,†and that for America to do the right thing it has to “provide moral leadership, America must do it in the right way†and cited Theodore Roosevelt’s policy of “speaking softly and carrying a big stick. That is Barack’s approach. And in following it, he has pressed the reset button on the moral authority of the entire free world.†It must be repeated that David Cameron is a real conservative that understands it is important for America to use its resources of hard and soft power, and not rely on Bush-era policies of shoot first and define America as barbarians. Romney doesn’t get it and it is why he assailed the President for using flexibility and diplomacy in dealing with Russia at the nuclear summit with Medvedev.

America cannot sustain a permanent state of war and conflict that Romney is planning if he wins the nomination and presidency. His foreign policy advisors are Bush’s team that incited the invasion of Iraq, and they have been pushing for a conflict with Iran; now Romney is foolish enough to state Russia is America’s number on geopolitical foe? He is a fool. President Medvedev could not have been clearer when he said he was alarmed at hearing Romney’s assertion, and any semi-intelligent person understands that fear is not a motivator for peace or cooperation in world events. But then again, when the whole of your foreign policy experience is outsourcing jobs and baptizing the French into your cult, invoking fear appears to be a proven winner. In world politics though, diplomacy and flexibility is the path to peaceful coexistence and it is something Romney’s chicken-hawk fantasies of a “strong and courageous†Ronald Reagan will never understand like Barack Obama does, and it is why our President is well-respected around the world.

Romney’s display of “Hollywood machismo†in attempting to frighten the Russian president demonstrates his rank ignorance in dealing with friends or imaginary foes, because compared to flexibility and diplomacy, threats and fear are the  quickest way to stay in a perpetual state of war. Fortunately for America, President Obama speaks softly and is not afraid to use a big stick when he needs to and belies Romney’s assertion he is weak. As Prime Minister Cameron said, “There are three things about Barack that really stand out for me: strength, moral authority, and wisdom,†and compared to Romney’s penchant for lying, fantasy, and historical inaccuracies, there is no comparison. If  Americans do not comprehend Romney’s dysfunction, any world leader will be happy to enlighten them.



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