Romney’s Criticism of Obama’s Foreign Policy Was No Gaffehttp://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2012/09/libya_consulate_killing_mitt_romney_s_criticism_of_barack_obama_on_libya_and_egypt_was_an_accurate_reflection_of_what_he_really_believes_.html?tid=sm_tw_button_chunky via @slate
Slate 
8:04 PM - 12 Sep 12 · Details
Mitt Romney was no gaffe. He said what he meant.
By David Weigel|Posted Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2012, at 6:27 PM ET
Mitt Romney criticized the Obama administration's handling of the attacks on the U.S. Embassy in Egypt and the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya.
Photograph by David Calvert/Getty Images.
Mitt Romney did not “gaffe” about the protest at the U.S. Embassy in Egypt or the killing of diplomats at the Benghazi Consulate. The whole concept of the “gaffe” has been Silly-Putty-ed into meaninglessness by campaign 2012, yes, but that’s not what I mean. What Mitt Romney said about the attacks, fact-challenged as it was, synced up neatly with what he’s been saying about foreign policy for years.
To understand this, you have to roll up your sleeves, clear your afternoon, and look at the cover of Romney’s book, No Apology. The candidate’s foreign policy boils down into two big, star-spangled concepts. No. 1: The job of the president is to speak up for America, all the time, through a megaphone if necessary. No. 2: Barack Obama, who does not speak like this, is the second coming of Jimmy Carter.
The embassy debacles in Libya and Egypt allowed Romney to hit both themes. Yes, in order to do that, he had to bungle his timing. Early on Tuesday, before the protests had caused any violence, the U.S. Embassy in Cairo released a statement on a viral and moronic anti-Islam video making the media rounds locally. The embassy criticized “continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims.” Romney’s statement got the timing wrong and asserted that the embassy’s statement was “the Obama Administration's first response” to killings. No. It would be hours before the U.S. Ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens, was killed.
