Romney's Foreign Policy Bonafides

[Abel Malcolm]

Republican Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, trying to show everyone
just how much more adept he is at foreign policy than President Obama,
went all the way to Britian, our closest ally, and insulted them,
several times over. First of all he suggested that London might not
be ready for its Olympic moment.

Romney, who ran the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, told the
British:

“It’s hard to know just how well it will turn out. There are a few
things that were disconcerting: the stories about the private security
firm not having enough people, supposed strike of the immigration and
customs officials, that obviously is not something which is
encouraging.”

To which, Britain's prime minister, David Cameron replied:

“We are holding an Olympic Games in one of the busiest, most active,
bustling cities anywhere in the world. Of course it’s easier if you
hold an Olympic Games in the middle of nowhere” (an apparent
reference to Salt Lake City).

Local newspapers responded with equal indignation.

Britain's Daily Mail carried this headline:

“Who invited him? US presidential hopeful Mitt Romney questions
British public’s appetite for the Games during visit to London.”

The Telegraph wrote: “Mitt Romney questions whether Britain is ready
for Olympic Games.”

Romney also met with Britain's Labor Party leader, Ed Miliband, whom
Romney addressed as “Mr. Leader.” That triggered questions about
whether he knew Miliband’s name.

Cameron is a supporter of President Obama, and lavished praise on the
incumbent Democrat earlier this year.

Some say that Cameron was more rude, because he suggested Salt Lake
City was ‘in the middle of nowhere.’

Romney's wife, Ann, is part owner of a horse competing in this year’s
Olympic dressage competition.

The Telegraph published a comment - attributed to one of Romney’s
foreign affairs advisers - that the Obama White House did not
sufficiently appreciate the shared “Anglo-Saxon” heritage of the
United States and Great Britain.

This remark was viewed as racially tinged, since Obama is the first
black president of the United States. Romney later disassociated
himself from that remark.

“We have a very special relationship between the United States and
Great Britain. It goes back to our very beginnings, cultural and
historical. But I also believe the president understands that,” Romney
said during an NBC interview.

Furthermore, Romney disclosed that he received a briefing from Sir
John Sawers, head of Britain's top-secret MI6 intelligence agency.
Revealing that he had such a meeting prompted even more negative
headlines for Romney in Britain, where it is not considered good form
to disclose the fact of such a high-level intelligence briefing.

Romney is aiming to convince US voters that he can competently manage
foreign affairs.