Did Romney Act Rashly on Libya?
Caught up in the middle of a roiling and deadly foreign policy crisis, Mitt Romney’s campaign denies it acted rashly in condemning the Obama administration’s reaction to fatal assaults against U.S. diplomats in Libya and a violent raid against the U.S. Embassy in Cairo.
Senior Romney advisers, who declined to speak on the record, said on Wednesday the protests at the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, where U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens was killed along with three others, demanded a comment from the GOP nominee.
The larger point of Romney’s statement, which faulted the administration for initially siding with protesters in Cairo, was that Obama is misreading the violent underbelly of the Arab Spring and jeopardizing U.S. interests in the region.
“With the killing of a U.S. diplomat it is the type of thing where the Republican nominee for president has to have a response,” a senior Romney official said of the developments that took place late on Tuesday and into Wednesday morning. “This was a big deal. And the statement was about the consistent failure of this administration to engage constructively with the aftermath of the Arab Spring.”
Yet, even Romney surrogates questioned the timing of Romney’s statement, which referred to the death of an American official, and originally carried a midnight eastern standard time embargo to avoid political criticism on 9/11.
“They probably should have waited,” said former Republican Sen. John Sununu. “You look at the way things unfolded, you look at the timing of it, they probably should have waited.”
—Major Garrett
NATIONAL JOURNAL’S PRESIDENTIAL RACE REPORT
Romney Blasts Obama on Cairo Embassy Statement of ‘Sympathy’
[National Journal, 9/11/12] Romney blasted the administration for what it characterized as its Cairo embassy’s sympathy for Muslims upset by anti-Muslim activity in the U.S., saying that it is “disgraceful” that Obama’s first response was not to condemn attacks on U.S. diplomatic missions – one of which killed the U.S. ambassador to Libya. But Romney may have confused the sequence of events.
Romney, Obama Camps Exchange Harsh Words Over Death of U.S. Ambassador
[New York Daily News, 9/12/12] Romney struck the first blow, saying that he was outraged by the Obama campaign’s reaction to news of American deaths. The Obama camp fired back that it was “shocked” Romney would use the Libyan diplomat’s death to score a political point.
Romney Talks About Troops, Afghanistan at National Guard Conference
[National Journal, 9/11/12] Romney paid tribute to the work of U.S. troops and veterans on the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He declined to directly attack Obama, instead implicitly critiquing the administration on looming cuts to defense.
The Elephant in the Room
[New York Times, 9/11/12] The Times’ Ross Douthat writes that Obama’s convention has not – sealed the election for the Democrats. The bounce has, though, dramatically reduced the possibility that the electorate will break hard against the incumbent in the last few months of the campaign.
Mitt Romney Panic Syndrome
[Slate, 9/11/12] Romney is enjoying at least the fourth public loss of confidence by conservative elites since winning the nomination, as John Dickerson writes. At the heart of the critique are two points: Romney is not taking the fight to Obama, and he’s being too vague about what he would do in office.
When Candidates Pay a Visit, not all Charges are Reimbursed
[Las Vegas Sun, 9/12/12] Each time a presidential candidate comes to Nevada, which is in the political cross hairs as a swing state this year, campaign staffers work out event logistics while various agencies coordinate security. Some costs are reimbursed; others are not.
Republicans End Michigan Ads, Pushing Wisconsin Onto Map
[Bloomberg Businessweek, 9/11/12] As the presidential campaign becomes a narrow contest that will be decided in as few as nine swing states, Romney and his allies have shifted TV advertising dollars to reflect the state of play following the two parties’ nominating conventions.
Opinion: The Wisconsin Voter
[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 9/11/12] The Journal-Sentinel’s Craig Gilbert writes the polling bounce Romney got in Wisconsin after picking Paul Ryan as his running mate, as well as the candidate’s struggles elsewhere on the map, could make the Badger State a unique battleground this fall.
Bill Clinton Hits the Trail for Obama
[National Journal, 9/11/12] Former president Bill Clinton on Tuesday hit the campaign trail for Obama in the pivotal swing state of Florida, framing the election in a Miami speech as less about where things stand now than about where Obama can take the nation.
Romney Team Preps to Fill a Cabinet
[Wall Street Journal, 9/11/12] Romney’s presidential transition team, which is stocked with veterans of the George W. Bush administration and fresh faces from the business world, offers an early peek at how a Romney administration might run.
Southern Bigotry Against the Rich, Mormons Could Hurt Romney
[Los Angeles Times, 9/11/12] A new Reuters/Ipsos poll shows that some middle- and lower-income whites in the South are even more prejudiced against a candidate who is Mormon or who they consider “very wealthy” than they are against voting for a black man.
A Journalist with Rare Access to Obama had to Play by Quote Rule
[New York Times, 9/11/12] Journalist and author Michael Lewis was granted extraordinary access to Obama for his latest article in Vanity Fair. But that came with a major condition: Lewis said he had to submit to the widespread but rarely disclosed practice of quote approval.
Romney Losing Lead Among Men
[The Hill, 9/11/12] Since the Democratic National Convention, Romney’s advantage among male voters has all but disappeared – potentially spelling doom for the Republican candidate.
Senate Dems Affronted by Romney-Ryan Blame Game on Defense Cuts
[National Journal, 9/11/12] Senate Democrats from defense-heavy swing states are expressing anger that Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan, are traveling to their turf to blame Obama for looming defense cuts. Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio says blaming Obama for the cuts is “pure hypocrisy… we all voted on it.”
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