Green Mountain Politics just emailed this short YouTube clip (audio only) of Mitt Romney talking this morning on the radio in New Hampshire about drawing down U.S. troop presence in Iraq if General Petraeus reports in September that the “surge” (and the broader strategy of which it is a part) is working. I’ll let you listen and draw your own conclusions.
UPDATE: The Romney campaign emails:
Governor Romney has always maintained that success in Iraq is the best way to bring our troops home safely, just as President Bush has long maintained that as Iraqi troops stand up, our troops will stand down. A couple of relevant instances:
President Bush: “The Best Way To Start Bringing These Good Men And Women Home Is To Make Sure The Surge Succeeds.” THE PRESIDENT: “Most Americans want to see two things in Iraq : They want to see our troops succeed, and they want to see our troops begin to come home. We can do both, and we will. Our troops in Iraq are serving bravely. They’re making great sacrifices. Changing the conditions in Iraq is difficult, and it can be done. The best way to start bringing these good men and women home is to make sure the surge succeeds.” (President George W. Bush, Weekly Radio Address, 7/14/07)
President Bush: “In my address to the nation in January, I put it this way: If we increase our support at this crucial moment we can hasten the day our troops begin coming home.” (President George W. Bush, Press Conference, Washington , D.C. , 7/12/07)
Those comments make it VERY clear the Mitt has no clue of how to sustain gains that have been made and secure victory.
Sad, but true. Here’s a prediction a year out – each of the major Party nominees will support a draw down in troops. Unless there are major, major changes in the way the war is being fought in the next 9 months.
The Iraqi’s are in no place to take over for our forces now, and they won’t be in September, and they probably won’t be in April of next year(last I read). I don’t know how he does not realize that.
Maybe this is being put out there so that he can have a position to go to in December.
Meh.
Romney substitutes Bush’s strategy of “As Iraqis Stand Up, We Will Stand Down” with “IF Iraqis Stand Up, We Will Stand Down.” Nice to see fresh ideas coming out of the GOP.
BTW — here is a link to a DOD Article trumpeting this so called strategy more than two years ago (see below).
The porn movies Mitt peddles contain more depth and originality than Bush’s (and now Mitt’s) approach to Iraq.
See link:
https://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=16277
Romney joins Obama in the “Not Ready for Prime Time” candidates club. Maybe he was brainwashed into saying it.
Crank I just reread your posting and now I see that Romney’s folks contacted you to ensure they support the President’s views and policies on Iraq. Wow!! So voting for Romney could bring another four years of confusion and chaos. Great. Or were they just pandering — as they’ve been known to do.
Last night the one term governor spoke ill of President Bush’s efforts to secure the country – now today are they going to write to all Bush’s supporters and say they really are for the inefficiencies in the the Dept of Homeland Security? See link:
https://news.bostonherald.com/politics/view.bg?articleid=1014753
“brainwashed”-clever.Actually,his old man had alot more going for him than Mitt(with the one obvious exception of calling his kid Mitt-if he’d been named Hoop,would Baseball Crank still sing his praises?).I’m not too sure George would be welcomed by present day Republicans.
As for Mitt,I believe you’ll find that on odd numbered Fridays of even numbered months,except those with 5 or fewer letters in their names,he is strongly supportive of Bush administration policies.Unfortunately,the formula is more complex for other days of the week,but the mathematics department at MIT is currently working on a simplification.
I think you will look long and hard on this blog for examples of me singing Romney’s praises.
A.Mouse —
I agree the old man had so much more to offer than Willard. And he was unfairly pilloried for the brainwashing comment (mostly by Democrats).
Here is a great article by the late historian David Halberstam describing the courage George Romney demonstrated in coming out against the war – after initially supporting it.
Halberstam explains how he shamed Robert Kennedy into curtailing his attacks on Romney after noting that his brother’s folks were the ones who got is into Vietnam i.e. did the ‘brainwashing’. (though in true Kennedy fashion, I am sure Romney’s demise in the polls also factored into Bobby going easy on him).
As Halberstam concludes, based his past record, we’re not likely to see a fraction of the courage or convictions from Willard — another guy like our current president who was born on third base and thinks he hit a triple.
here is the link to the Halberstam article:
https://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2006/08/15/romneys_unlearned_lesson/
I’m no fan, but Mitt did get a solid shot off :
“”I mean, in one week he went from saying he’s going to sit down, you know, for tea, with our enemies, but then he’s going to bomb our allies,” said Romney. “I mean, he’s gone from Jane Fonda to Dr. Strangelove in one week.”