As Ashby wrote a few minutes ago, Mitt Romney kneejerked his way into another major blunder. This time, he inadvertently revealed his complete lack of experience on foreign policy.
Romney, in his haste, attacked the president and a U.S. Embassy in Cairo statement about a crappy anti-Islamic movie released in the United States. Romney said the embassy statement apologized for America and implied that it was issued following the deadly attack and killing of four U.S. diplomats in Libya, including Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens. In fact, the statement was released before the killings and the statement didn't apologize for America or American values and, instead, literally defended American values.
Worse, Romney rushed to score political points on the attack before having all of the facts.
Romney said, "The embassy in Cairo put out a statement after their grounds had been breached, protesters were inside the grounds. They reiterated that statement after the breach. I think it's a -- a terrible course for America to stand in apology for our values."
That's simply not the case. And this kind of response it utterly baffling, especially given the lack of information regarding why the Libya attack occurred. Officials believe the Libya attack, unlike the movie-related attacks in Cairo, were motivated by revenge for the killing of a member of al-Qaeda.
"It's bad," said a former aide to Senator John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign. "Just on a factual level that the statement was not a response but preceding, or one could make the case precipitating. And just calling it a 'disgrace' doesn't really cut it. Not ready for prime time."
A third Republican, a former Bush State Department official, told BuzzFeed, "It wasn't presidential of Romney to go political immediately — a tragedy of this magnitude should be something the nation collectively grieves before politics enters the conversation."
Also...
"He did jump the gun. It revealed yet again that his foreign policy team is not ready for prime time," said David Rothkopf, a former Clinton State Department official. "It is ugly and amateurish. It also seems strangely out of character with Romney who elsewhere in the campaign seems inclined to be restrained to a fault." [...]
"Romney blew it and revealed how seriously maladroit he is when it comes to foreign affairs and national security," said Steve Clemons, the founder of the American Strategy Program at the New America Foundation. "An attack on an Embassy, the murder of U.S. officials including an Ambassador, is an attack on all Americans and the idea of America — and Romney gave terrorists what they want — a divided country still torn emotionally and politically by the events of 9-11. Romney talks of leadership but with his reckless commentary when events were fragile and still unfolding, he belly-flopped."
So Romney, an obvious foreign policy dilettante of the worst order, is already trying way too hard to assuage conservative talk radio bullies who are critical of his campaign. Put it this way: the only other people to join Romney on his ridiculous remarks have been Reince Priebus and Sarah Palin.
Adding... Here's how it went down:
First, the embassy in Cairo--not the White House, not Foggy Bottom, but the embassy--released its statement denouncing (not by name) the makers of the inflammatory film about Mohammed. That was around noon local time Tuesday.
Then the attacks happened.
Then, last night, came Romney's statement criticizing the Obama administration for its allegedly "disgraceful... first response" being "to sympathize with those who waged the attacks."
But: the attack hadn't happened! That first embassy statement was apparently issued because word was circulating about possible violence, and the embassy was trying to quell it.
Then the Obama administration distanced itself from the original embassy statement, and then Romney issued last night's statement.
So here's Romney now, at 10:18 am, now that he must surely know this chronology, still defending his statement from last night and criticizing Obama for defending the attackers.