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Romney dazzles on foreign policy
Powerlineblog ^ | Joel Mowbray

Posted on 01/28/2007 12:52:35 PM PST by Obilisk18

Of all the speakers this past week at the Herzliya Conference, Israel’s premier counterterrorism and security gathering, no one dazzled ‘em like presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Other White House wannabes, including John McCain and John Edwards, also made appearances, but they spoke via satellite, whereas Romney was in the flesh. But that alone cannot explain the stark disparity in performance.

As anyone who’s seen Romney knows, he cuts an impressive physical presence, he’s charming and can deliver a hokey line with the best of them. What I had not seen from him before, though, was any real indication that he had more than a passing knowledge of foreign policy or a decent handle on the global struggle in which we are engaged.

After what I witnessed, however, it’s hard not to be a Romney cheerleader.

What was most extraordinary was how clearly Romney articulated the nature of the common enemy Israel and the United States both face. It was, by far, the most remarkable speech on the topic given by an American politician of either party, on television or in person.

One line in particular captures how thoroughly Romney understands our jihadist enemies: “Contrary to the Baker-Hamilton Commission, resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict will not magically mollify the jihadists.”

Don’t let the clever phrasing hide the serious message. The origins of modern Islamic fundamentalism long precede the creation of the Jewish state of Israel, and Palestinians merely serve as convenient propaganda to rile the masses. And as the world has seen, radical Islamic propaganda can be found just about anywhere: ultimately untrue stories about the flushing of a Qur’an, quoting a medieval scholar, or even cartoons. Romney gets that.

It’s not just that Romney strongly supports Israel—that would hardly distinguish him in American politics—it’s that his support is rooted, at least in part, in a textured comprehension of Islamic fundamentalism. For proof, read the next few paragraphs of Romney’s remarks:

“No, what we should have realized since 9/11 is that what the world regarded as an Israeli-Arab conflict over borders represented something much larger. It was the oldest, most active front of the radical Islamist jihad against the entire West. It therefore was not really about borders. It was about the refusal of many parts of the Muslim world to accept Israel’s right to exist – within any borders.

“This distinction came into vivid focus this summer. The war in Lebanon had little to do with the Palestinians. And it had nothing to do with a two-state solution. It demonstrated that Israel is now facing a jihadist front that from Tehran through Damascus to Southern Lebanon and Gaza.

“As Tony Blair astutely put it, Hizbullah was not fighting ‘for the coming into being of a Palestinian state…but for the going out of being of an Israeli state.’

“Yet we have still not fully absorbed the magnitude of the change. As far as our enemies are concerned, there is just one conflict. And in this single conflict, the goal of destroying Israel is simply a way station toward the real goal of subjugating the entire West.”

On the topic of the most pernicious present threat, Iran, Romney also offered a coherent strategy for nonviolently combating Ahmadinejad and the mullahs. He laid out a 5-point plan that included economic and diplomatic isolation of the regime, prodding Arab states to lock arms with the West, and working with “progressive” Muslims in Iran and elsewhere to “defeat radical Islam.”

Like many, I believed that Romney’s Mormon faith would be an electoral deal-breaker, especially with evangelical Christians who dominate GOP primaries in the South. That still may prove true. But unless his competitors are able to discuss our battle against radical Islam with as much aplomb as Romney displayed in Herzliya, the former Massachusetts governor could easily stake out a leadership position on the single most important issue facing America.

That alone might not result in victory, but it will certainly help Romney make it further than many now believe is possible.


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: electionpresident; elections; iran; mitt; nope; prolife; reaganesque; romney
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I thought the speech was excellent as well.
1 posted on 01/28/2007 12:52:36 PM PST by Obilisk18
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To: Obilisk18

I'm looking for reasons to like Romney, and this helps.

The main competitors have the following problems:

McCain / Feingold - 2008 ... "Shut Up or Go To Prison"

Guiliani: Pro Gay Marriage, Pro Abortion, Anti Gun.


2 posted on 01/28/2007 12:57:01 PM PST by Uncle Miltie (McCain / Feingold - 2008 ... "Shut Up or Go To Prison")
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To: Obilisk18

Is there a link so we can listen to it?


3 posted on 01/28/2007 12:58:00 PM PST by Mercat
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To: Brad Cloven

The GOP STILL has NO candidate worthy. I don't care what anyone says. They don't! McCain?- POS!!!


4 posted on 01/28/2007 1:00:55 PM PST by hkp123
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To: Obilisk18

I wouldn't doubt that Romney is well versed in foreign relations. He spent two years in France as a young man.


5 posted on 01/28/2007 1:01:06 PM PST by colorcountry (Remember: Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.)
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To: Obilisk18

A few people who's opinion and prognostication I respect immensely think once the American people get to really know Romney he will win the nomination and the election.


6 posted on 01/28/2007 1:01:54 PM PST by traderrob6
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To: Obilisk18

That certainly WAS impressive. He understands the problem even if half the morons running for president don't. Hell yes. The jihadists won't take half a loaf (Israel); they want it all. They want to utterly destroy western civilization. Europe will be the first to go. They will be fully Ilamicized within the next 35 years or so and unrecognizable. We are going to have to do what is required up to and including the destruction of the rogue regime in Iran. And I don't give a damn about the peace at any price neo-Chamberlains marching against the war in Iraq. This is a war for civilization. It is either the barbarian savages or us. It's that simple. Romney gets it. Good for him.


7 posted on 01/28/2007 1:02:09 PM PST by RichardW
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To: Obilisk18
The Mitt Romney Deception
8 posted on 01/28/2007 1:02:53 PM PST by Spiff (Rudy Giuliani Quote (NY Post, 1996) "Most of Clinton's policies are very similar to most of mine.")
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To: Obilisk18

I can see the frustration with Romney's changing positions.

But just watch the man speak and anyone can see how talented he is. And he is running as a conservative now, regardless of how he ran in the past. And of the 3 top candidates, he's the only one who can say that. Give him a chance.


9 posted on 01/28/2007 1:05:45 PM PST by MittFan08
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To: MittFan08
Used car salesmen talk a good spiel also.
10 posted on 01/28/2007 1:07:51 PM PST by HuntsvilleTxVeteran ("Remember the Alamo, Goliad and WACO, It is Time for a new San Jacinto")
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To: MittFan08

I'm pulling for Duncan Hunter at the moment, but realize he's a dark horse.

Of the big names listed, I see far more promise in Romney than any of the others.


11 posted on 01/28/2007 1:09:43 PM PST by CheyennePress
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To: HuntsvilleTxVeteran

"Used car salesmen talk a good spiel also."

Look at it this way. We conservatives are looking to buy a nice SUV in this race. Romney shows up with a 2005 Escalade he wants to sell. The other major candidates are selling mid-size sedans. Now, you may think Romney is just a used-care shyster, but the fact remains that if you buy what the other major candidates are selling, you absolutely won't get the SUV you are looking for.

That may not be a perfect analogy because I like Rudy, but you get the point. Even if Romney is less than sincere, he's the only major candidate who is even arguably a conservative right now.


12 posted on 01/28/2007 1:12:38 PM PST by MittFan08
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To: MittFan08
Duncan Hunter is conservative, Romney will compromise on anything.

Do you think Romney is more conservative then the last POTUSA from the commie wealth of Mass?
13 posted on 01/28/2007 1:20:25 PM PST by HuntsvilleTxVeteran ("Remember the Alamo, Goliad and WACO, It is Time for a new San Jacinto")
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To: Obilisk18
Romney also offered a coherent strategy for nonviolently combating Ahmadinejad and the mullahs. He laid out a 5-point plan that included economic and diplomatic isolation of the regime, prodding Arab states to lock arms with the West, and working with “progressive” Muslims in Iran and elsewhere to “defeat radical Islam.”

That won't work alone. Possibly he knows this and is just too afraid to say it out loud. More likely though that he just doesn't get it.

14 posted on 01/28/2007 1:21:31 PM PST by edsheppa
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To: MittFan08

Look at it this way. We conservatives are looking to buy a nice SUV in this race. Romney shows up with a 2005 Escalade he wants to sell. The other major candidates are selling mid-size sedans. Now, you may think Romney is just a used-care shyster, but the fact remains that if you buy what the other major candidates are selling, you absolutely won't get the SUV you are looking for.

The car should sell itself if it is such a good value.

I will say that these cheer leading posts are getting a touch tiresome.

RUDY! Not as liberal as you might think..
McCain! err.....
Romney! He is charming, think of him as our Bill Clinton, he can take either side of a debate with equal ease..

Romney may be related to one of my favorite authors, Edward H. Romney so I'll give him some credit it is still a year away from the primaries, so we shall see...


15 posted on 01/28/2007 1:24:20 PM PST by padre35 (We are surrounded, that simplifies our problem Chesty Puller)
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To: Mercat

Here's audio to the speech.

http://www.mymanmitt.com/2007/01/from-israel-mitt-plan-for-iran.asp

You can find bits of video on his exploratory committee website under MittTv. www.mittromney.com


16 posted on 01/28/2007 1:25:24 PM PST by Obilisk18 (E)
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To: Mercat

"Is there a link so we can listen to it?"

I could only find this video of the last minutes of the speech:

http://mittromney.permissiontv.com/ptvweb_loader.swf?home_page=embedBlog&showid=38209


17 posted on 01/28/2007 1:25:36 PM PST by De Civitate Dei
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To: Obilisk18

He won't convince most Americans that this is a war for all the marbles, even though it is. The current administration and congress have conditioned people to think this is a limited war against terror (tactic) and not an all-out war against islam (ideology).


18 posted on 01/28/2007 1:28:19 PM PST by gotribe (There's still time to begin a war in Iraq.)
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To: Obilisk18

Bump.


19 posted on 01/28/2007 1:37:09 PM PST by JCEccles
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To: Mercat; Obilisk18
"Is there a link so we can listen to it?"

The most complete group of video segments of the Romney speech at the Herzliya, Israel conference I've found so far is here. I haven't found video of the speech from beginning to end on the web, but there is an audio recording of the entire speech (MP3 format).

20 posted on 01/28/2007 1:40:13 PM PST by Unmarked Package (Amazing surprises await us under cover of a humble exterior.)
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