I’ve been reading more about Romney’s pathetic stabs at sounding statemanlike on foreign policy. At The American Conservative, Daniel Larison takes Romney apart in two posts, Romney’s VFW Speech and Romney and the Cult of Resolve. Both are well worth reading.
Romney’s VFW speech is a chilling thing. Except for not mentioning September 11, it sounds like it was cribbed from old Dubya talking points. Here is a representative snip:
Like a watchman in the night, we must remain at our post – and keep guard of the freedom that defines and ennobles us, and our friends. In an American Century, we have the strongest economy and the strongest military in the world. In an American Century, we secure peace through our strength. And if by absolute necessity we must employ it, we must wield our strength with resolve. In an American Century, we lead the free world and the free world leads the entire world.
If we do not have the strength or vision to lead, then other powers will take our place, pulling history in a very different direction. A just and peaceful world depends on a strong and confident America. I pledge to you that if I become commander-in-chief, the United States of America will fulfill its duty, and its destiny.
The whole speech is full of that kind of crap which, as Larison says, sounds fine as long as you don’t think about what it really means.
President Obama’s speech was full of specifics about what he has done for veterans and what he still intends to do. Romney’s speech amounted to a tribal aggression display — verbal spear waving and chest-thumping, delivered (quoting Larison) “in that strained, almost incredulous-sounding tone he uses when he wants to convey emotion.”
As Charles Pierce said,
Well, he’ll “use every means necessary to protect us and the region” from Iran, because that’s what all the neocon retreads who are teaching him which end of Persia is up are telling him to say. (New wars!) He also talked tough about Russia, China, and Venezuela. He criticized the president for withdrawing the missile shield from Poland and Czechoslovakia, leaving those two nations naked before the Red Army and the aggressive territorial ambitions of Soviet Premier Malenkov. The rest of the speech was an aria of elaborate dick-waving because, frankly, on these difficult issues, that’s all Romney has. His experience in foreign policy is decidedly limited to finding new places to hide his fortune.
The New York Times also points out that Romney’s speech offered nothing persuasive or even coherent. Parse all you like; any indication of what Romney might actually do regarding foreign policy is not forthcoming. You’d probably get better information about what Romney actually thinks from a ouija board.
Czechoslovakia
There is no such place anymore. Mitt sure is behind the times. There is the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
When he gets to Germany, I wonder what Mitt’s people have prepared for him to say to The Kaiser?
‘Watch out for them evil Moooslims from the Ottoman Empire?’
OY!!!
“…what Romney actually thinks…”—Are we sure that the Mitt-bot is capable of thinking?
The VFW speech made me think of the “project for the new American century”Somewhere rummy and ashcroft got wood.
More new wars indeed!Romney and his pals are already spending the money they plan to make. This is just another way, as the Obama commercial says”Mitt is not the solution: he IS the problem”
Ahh, the neocons. Leo Strauss’s idea was to create a mythology that would restore a sense of purpose and identity to America. That’s pretty obviously playing with fire.
Something Joe Campbell said in passing while discussing his “Masks of God” series (and I mean no offense, Maha) “Buddhism, was in some ways, Hinduism, stripped for export.” It strikes me that libertarianism is fascism, stripped for import.
Pierce is the man! Who else would have called R-money’s performance “an aria of elaborate dick-waving” as a throw-away line like that?
I now see why Condi Rice’s name comes up so often for veep, and I am very grateful that she apparently isn’t interested. We’re fortunate in that Dick Cheney probably isn’t available, and anyway he has numbers that would doom any GOP ticket in a national election. Where, or where is Romney going to get any foreign expertise cred?
My take on the speech is that it’s just red meat for the base. It would be nice if it were coherent, or even relevant to 2012 AD, but that isn’t what matters so much.
Libertarianism is fascism, stripped for import. I like that.
I predict that if Mitt does win (buy) the Presidency, we will be at war with some other nation, perhaps Iran.
Libertarianism is propertarianism. Property rights are its only concern; ultimately including the ownership and trading of people. Slavery is freedom.
Khughes,, I’m thinking the next target is Mali. The antiquities of the ancient caravan routes ( not to mention the considerable gold concentrations in the country) MUST be protected from the radical Islamic Tureg tribesmen.( then REAL men go to Tehran!)
Libertarianism is propertarianism. Property rights are its only concern;”
Yes, I thought it was particularly evident when Ron Paul opined that Lincoln could have prevented the Civil War simply by paying slaveowners for their property. While this was considered in actuality. 150 years on, it is passing strange to look back and regret the loss of property above all else. Especially so, given that slaves were generally kidnapped and sold. Even inanimate objects don’t become property if you steal them and cross the border.
If you read some speeches by Jefferson Davis and some of the other confederate orators, they’d fit right into a Tea Party rally.