Mitt Romney’s remarks (link to video, including questions).

I personally would have been a good deal more cutting, but then I personally would never make it past the tryouts for the auditions for the contest to be President of the United States.  The man understands the problem, which is not “Free speech is provocative,” and never mind what those racists in the progressive antiwar movement think.  Here’s the statement itself:

“Americans woke up this morning with tragic news and felt heavy hearts as they considered that individuals who have served in our diplomatic corps were brutally murdered across the world. This attack on American individuals and embassies is outrageous, it’s disgusting. It breaks the hearts of all of us who think of these people who have served, during their lives, the cause of freedom, and justice and honor. We mourn their loss and join together in prayer that the spirit of the Almighty might comfort the families of those who have been so brutally slain.

“Four diplomats lost their life, including the U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, in the attack on our embassy at Benghazi, Libya. And, of course, with these words, I extend my condolences to the grieving loved ones, who have left behind, as a result of these who have lost their lives in the service of our nation, and I know that the people across America are grateful for their service and we mourn their sacrifice.

“America will not tolerate attacks against our citizens and against our embassies. We will defend also our constitutional rights of speech and assembly and religion. We have confidence in our cause in America. We respect our Constitution. We stand for the principles our Constitution protects. We encourage other nations to understand and respect the principles of our Constitution because we recognize that these principles are the ultimate source of freedom for individuals around the world.

“I also believe the Administration was wrong to stand by a statement sympathizing with those who had breached our embassy in Egypt instead of condemning their actions.  It’s never too early for the United States Government to condemn attacks on Americans, and to defend our values.  The White House distanced itself last night from the statement, saying it wasn’t ‘cleared by Washington.’ That reflects the mixed signals they’re sending to the world.

“The attacks in Libya and Egypt underscore that the world remains a dangerous place and that American leadership is still sorely needed. In the face of this violence, America cannot shrink from the responsibility to lead. American leadership is necessary to ensure that events in the region don’t spin out of control.  We cannot hesitate to use our influence in the region to support those who share our values and our interests.  Over the last several years, we have stood witness to an Arab Spring that presents an opportunity for a more peaceful and prosperous region, but also poses the potential for peril, if the forces of extremism and violence are allowed to control the course of events.

“We must strive to ensure that the Arab Spring does not become an Arab Winter.”

And let me give you an idea of what kind of questions our press thought were smart to ask Romney:

REPORTER: Governor, some people have said that you jumped the gun a little in putting that statement out last night, and you should have waited until more details were available. Do you regret having that statement come out so early before we learned about all the things that were happening?

ROMNEY: I don’t think we ever hesitate when we see something which is a violation of our principles. We express immediately when we feel that the president and his administration have done something which is inconsistent with the principles of America. Simply put: having an embassy which has been breached, and has protestors on its grounds having violated the sovereignty of the United States? Having the embassy reiterate a statement effectively apologizing for the right of free speech is not the right course for an administration.

Yeah, they were pretty much all like that.  I’d compare them to the questions that President Obama answered, except that he didn’t answer any: instead, Obama gave a brief statement, then ran and hid in the Oval Office.

Moe Lane (crosspost)

21 thoughts on “Mitt Romney’s remarks (link to video, including questions).”

  1. Reports that Obama curled up with a glass of warm milk and his blanky then cried himself to sleep are unverified, but believable.

  2. These remarks are infinitly better than the pabulum the president spouted this morning. Its embarrassing really.

  3. Those countries wind up with brutal, repressive dictatorships because it’s what the brutal, vicious savages deserve. They are not civilized, they have no desire to become civilized, and treating them as if they were civilized is seen as an invitation to aggression.

  5. Where’s Obama, where’s Biden, Where’s Hiliary Clinton? I tell you, Plouffe and Axelrod have them buried in a nuclear bunker hoping his minions led by Chuck Todd can make this about a movie no one has seen, a preacher no one cares about, or Mitt Romney’s criticism of an apology that should never have been proffered. It should be about the policies of appease and apologize that got a US Ambassador killed and drug through the streets by Muslim Brotherhood and Al Queada thugs.

  6. Man, I hope Romney wins this fall. We need grownups in the WH again. I’m just not optimistic. Esp. when I see polls for Ohio and Florida and Colorado.

  8. OU812 – good news – Erick Erickson was right when he said the polling would start to tumble towards Romney – most recent Rassmussen: First numbers are Romney

    Colorado 47/47
    Wisconsin 48/47
    Iowa 46/44
    Missouri 46/47
    Ohio 45/45
    Virginia 47/47
    Florida 45/43
    and too more
    Michigan 42/48
    Pennsylvania 44/48

    This tracks with WaPo, yesterday; Rassmussen’s national tracking today, and even Gallup showing a three pt race with Obama’s post convention dead cat bounce still factored into the 7 day average. It also tracks with PPP’s Ohio poll, if you factor in the 3.5 PPP house effect that Nate Silver admits to (the fact that Nate admits to 3.5 probably means it’s closer to 5). Esentially, this race is shaping up to be 2004 all over again (which should surprise no one) – and the Republicans won in 2004.

  9. oh and given those numbers, I’d say Chuck Todd’s “Romney is chasing the news cycle because of polling” is pretty much the same thing that always comes out of Chuck Todd’s mouth: a lie.

  10. Speaking of Nate Silver, he’s currently got Romney with a 20% chance of winning in the Fall. . . when the Repubs take over the government again in January, It will be nice to have grownups in charge again, I just hope they don’t foul it up like last time and actually use this to put our country on solid financial footing and national security footing. What’s the point of accounting for 45% of the world’s defense spending if a ragtag mob in outer Nowherestan feels comfortable over-running our embassy.

  13. tnfriend – regarding those poll numbers, do you have Connecticut handy, and how is Missouri Senate tracking vs. Missouri POTUS?

    In the former, I’m wondering if McMahon is generating upward coattails, in the latter I’m checking Akin for signs of recovery or gangrene…

    Mew

  15. @Doug Stewart: I can’t even remember what a “moby” is supposed to be. An attack on an embassy is, iirc, an OVERT act of war. Is that what you call civilized?

  16. qixlqatl – a “moby” troll is one who lies about their views to get an amount of trust, then troll, sometimes by posting the most extreme interpretation of the belief they’re lying about. A pro-union “moby” may pose as being anti-union, and propose federal troops step in to operate the Chicago Public Schools, for example.

    I do not see what is moby-ish (or even what’s particularly strange) about observing that people get the government they deserve .. even in the case of brutish barely-civilized warlord-wannabes getting a coalition of barely-civilized warlords as their government.

    Mew

  18. acat: Connecticut: McMahon 49/46 = Missouri: Mccaskill 49/43

    Akin has actually gained 5% in the last couple of weeks and McMahon is pulling away.

  19. “The American people are angry at those who kill our diplomats, attack our embassies, burn our flag, and demand we censor ourselves to avoid offending them.” – Newt Gingrich

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