They have built a base of influence by winning hearts and minds and it can be an effective tool. Good thing AQ has not figured that out or things in Iraq could be a lot worse. From the reactions out there on this comment it seems that people are indulging in political correctness instead of substance.
I understand what he’s saying, but I disagree with this approach. I do not believe we can buy our way into people’s hearts. Even if it were possible, we don’t have enough money to do it. We’ve been trying to acheive security via the state department for too long — we need to realize that we have to crush our enemies before we can win over the civilians. In other words, no Marshall Plan until after the war is won. I’m not going to flame Romney for using a poor example, but I am concerned about his underlying message/proposal.