Posted on 08/03/2007 9:29:40 AM PDT by Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus
Republican presidential candidate Gov. Mitt Romney has cited the social welfare network of the Lebanese Hezbollah terror group as a role model the U.S. should copy to help promote "goodness" and "freedom" around the world.
Sections of Hezbollah's social welfare network, including schools and camps, are routinely used by the terror group to indoctrinate students in anti-Israel propaganda, instruct in military tactics and promote Shiite Islamic beliefs, including the waging of a final, apocalyptic world battle against "evil."
(Excerpt) Read more at wnd.com ...
"And they (Hezbollah) built their support there by having done so. That kind of diplomacy is something that would help America become stronger around the world and help people understand that our interest is an interest towards modernity and goodness and freedom for all people in the world. And so, I want to see America carry out that kind of health diplomacy."
Well, I guess Mitt just moved further down on my list of GOP candidates I would support, in order. Way down.
You have big bucks, Romney. You pay for it instead of your narcissistic Presidential run.
Another ‘Ron Paul’ protege! Unbelievable!
That simplifies the GOP race considerably. What next - will Rudy eat a puppy live on the internet?
If a country gets the government it deserves we are in deep doo-doo.
Mr. Romney........here’s yer sign!
Mitt Romney Obamney
It would appear that the rather long time spent by Mr. Romney in Massachusetts has affected his mental powers. Bound to happen. Dogs and fleas...
In essence, one of the world's major terrorist organizations ends up not only building up infrastructure in areas that had been neglected (at times Southern Lebanon can be termed as almost separate from the rest of lebanon since Hezbollah seems to do all the work there), but they also end up having immense support from the people. And what does Hezbollah gain from that? Well, simply total support from the people, a populace willing to hide them, accomodate them, and even look the other way and not complain too much if Israel attacks terrorist bases in the middle of an apartment complex (it can be noticed that in the 'Lebanon war' or whatever it was called, Hezbollah was literally pouring money at places hit during air strikes. The irony is that many people still saw Hezbollah as saviors, instead of seeing them as opportunistic dogs that had used apartment blocks as shields).
Anyways, I don't think one way or the other about Romney. But i honestly DOUBT (actually 100%) that he was giving Hezbollah congratulations or any sort of pro-terrorist accolade. I believe he was saying that there approach has worked (and worked very well) in the regions that it has been implemented, and that in the entire middle-east it is probably the closest ANYONE has come to (what is the term) 'winning hearts and minds.'
Think of it as a terrorist Peace Corp.
Anyways, what if American did that? First of all the media wouldn't report on it (there are a number of development programs bankrolled by the US going on in Iraq, and a good number have been successful ....but you'll never hear of them on NBC). Secondly segments of the local populace have been poisoned against the US by a variety of local and regional demagogues, whereby any good is always said to have some sort of ulterior motive. Thirdly terrorist groups in Iraq tend to target any Iraqis that are seem to be obviously making things better in Iraq (which is why Iraqis helping the US military in construction efforts are some of the most targeted people on this planet, and heroes/patriots without par since they not only place themselves in jeopardy but also their entire families). BTW ...think of why the Iraqi soccer team did not want to go back to IRaq? They know they are targeted men for 'doing good.'
Anyways, going back to Romney. I don't know what else he said, and I honestly do not find anything big to celebrate about ANY of the Rebuplican candidates (although they are better than the alternative). However this SPECIFIC remark he made on Hezbollah is nothing anti-American, and people are construing it as such. He is simply stating the truth ....Hezbollah probably has the best track record in turning hearts and minds of the people who live in their controlled areas than virtually anyone has since Florence Nightingale. The level of propaganda and indoctrination pulled by Hezbollah has been nothing short of genius (and it is propaganda ...the only difference is that they use the dollar, the hospital bed, and the school desk instead of more orthodox propaganda tools).
Are they a terrorist organization? H@ll yeah! However, they have managed to make the people living in their areas see them as saviors, even as they cause bombs to fall on innocent people.
The only part that Romney made a mistake in is calling it 'health diplomacy.' It is not health diplomacy ....it is 'health-based, aid-imbued, propaganda.' But it has worked very well for Hezbollah, and saying that doesn't make someone pro-terrorist.
Fangs work very well for rattlesnakes, but you will not see me kissing a Timber rattler in the noggin' nor playing footsie with a sidewinder!
It may not make Romney pro-terrorist, but it certainly is a propaganda win for Hezbollah. Hezbollah can not rightfully claim that a major American politician, maybe the next President of the U.S. endorses their activites. This provides them with legitimacy and a rallying point to overthrow the Lebanese government. They can go the Lebanese people and say, “See the Americans agree, the government abandoned you and we took care of you, help us overthrow them and we will take care of you forever.”
Now, you may think its a good idea for an American presidential candidate help terrorist groups achieve their objectives, but I don’t.
He and Patty Murray can discuss.
So you are disagreeing? How DO you intend to win the hearts and minds of the people who sympathise with those who want to kill us?
You can tell people about freedom and democracy, but meanwhile they are being befriended by our enemies who know how to “do good” for them. We have to do better for them, and that includes helping their country’s legitimate government set up appropriate infrastructure.
Sure, those things should be done privately, but you have to start them up somehow, and you can’t just raise a functioning capitalist society from scratch overnight.
We will not beat terrorism until we subsume a vast majority of the people of the middle east into something less than a hate relationship with us, and that won’t happen so long as the other side is providing them with all their needs.
Sadly, the responses remind me of what Bill O'Reilly did to Free Republic. O'Reilly took one or two statements posted on FR out of context and jumped to the conclusion that the whole website was hate-filled. Hmmm. So now we are supposed to judge Romney's understanding of the Islamic threat on .1% of what he's said rather than the other 99.9% of what he's said on the topic?
I don't think so. One imprecise or incomplete statement by Romney does not take away from his strong statements on the war on terror and his demonstrated awareness of the radical Islamic threat.
Also, there is a lot to be said for the observation that this war on terror cannot be won without encouraging moderation, civility and tolerance in the Islamic world. We may be well-served by using our forces of democracy and freedom to dispel ingrained, destructive falsehoods about our culture and policies. It may make sense to put on our own hearts and minds offensive.
It goes right along with something the Secretary of Sate said recently:
"The victory of freedom in the Cold War was won only when the West remembered that values and security cannot be separated," Rice said. "The values of freedom and democracy as much, if not more, than economic power and military might have won the Cold War."
That thinking tracks recommendations of the Sept. 11 commission, which besides calling for reorganization of U.S. intelligence and counterterrorism urged a diplomatic offensive: "If the United States does not act aggressively to define itself in the Islamic world, the extremists will gladly do the job for us."
Agreed. Sometimes I’m surprised that so many freepers have reading comprehension skills. Romney was not praising Hezbollah, he was simply suggesting that we do what we are essentially doing in Iraq already. Use deeds of good will to win over the people. I say we need to use much more propaganda also. We know that propaganda works (just look at what the MSM has done to America). We need to use more of it to “educate” the poor misguided people of the ME.
Also, can we give the guy a break now and then? One little inartfully expressed thought. Come on! He's talking on the fly running from townhall meeting to townhall meeting, taking unscripted questions from regular folks without the benefit of any coffee in the morning or any wine at night. I truly don't know how he's done so well so far. ;-)
On FR many posted polls from the area that compared support for Bin Laden before the US military helped rescue and rebuild vs. after. The US street cred went way up while Bin Laden's went way down. We need to do the same in other areas of the world. Romney gets it.
_______________________________
Poll: Major Change of Public Opinion in Muslim World
In the first substantial shift of public opinion in the Muslim world since the beginning of the United States’ global war on terrorism, more people in the world’s largest Muslim country now favor American efforts against terrorism than oppose them.
This is just one of many dramatic findings of a new nationwide poll in Indonesia conducted February 1-6, 2005, and just translated and released.
In a stunning turnaround of public opinion, support for Osama Bin Laden and terrorism in the world’s most populous Muslim nation has dropped significantly, while favorable views of the United States have increased. The poll demonstrates that the reason for this positive change is the American response to the tsunami.
Key Findings of the Poll:.....read on here
What a maroon.
Maybe he and Ron Paul can team up together.
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