MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow made the point Monday that Mitt Romney’s silence on the Afghanistan war— and the GOP otherwise seeming to echo Bush foreign policy— really hurts the American people.
Maddow:
The only serious discussion of Afghanistan at the Republican convention was John McCain saying we should stay at war there forever. We don’t actually know if Mitt Romney agrees with him on that— the way he agrees with him on threatening wars with Russia and Iran— we don’t know because Mitt Romney did not say anything at all in his acceptance speech about our current war in Afghanistan.
The conservative Weekly Standard’s Bill Kristol excoriated him for it.
Mitt Romney on Thursday became the first Republican nominee to not talk about war in a convention speech in 60 years. And we are in a war. (He mentioned World War Two. And the Mexican Revolution.) But Mitt Romney accepted the nomination to be president of the United States of America without a single word for the more than 80,000 Americans who are serving in Afghanistan right now…
The debate, the pressure on the president—on the life-and-death issue of the war and the more than 80,000 Americans facing it in-our-name-daily—will not come from his political opponent. Mitt Romney punts on this one... he’s pretending it doesn’t exist…
This election will therefore fail us as a nation, as a means of having a robust debate about a war we are still waging...
Elections are supposed to help us close the gap between what we want and what we get as a nation—because enterprising, competitive politicians are supposed to recognize-and-seize political opportunity when a policy is deeply, profoundly unpopular. Mitt Romney is not capable of that on this issue. So that means the pressure on this issue—the pressure on the policy-makers—if there is going to be any—will have to come from the people. From us. Because it seems like we care about this as a country, even if some of the people who say they want to lead us, do not.
Leave a Comment:
Mitt Romney should have acknowledged the war in Afghanistan. Its tough going over their for U.S. troops and NATO troops. Romney could have mentioned what his plans are for fighting terrorism and for stabilizing Afghanistan plus other countries like Yemen, Libya, and possibly Syria. No one would expect him to give a long speech about it but foreign policy is about 80% of what a president actually does with his time.
So Rachel Maddow is correct, foreign policy matters and the GOP has no vision for foreign policy except to be tough on Iran. President Obama is being plenty tough on Iran. The neocon element from the Bush years are quietly clinging for life like barnacles on a ship, to Romney's campaign. Will these GOP idiots want to actually start a war with Iran? I am not sure that would be very wise considering the large expense, potential for heavy U.S. losses, and $200 per barrel oil that could result. A war with Iran would be like grabbing an angry wolf by the ears. We couldn't run away and we wouldn't dare let go so it would suck the life out of the country. If we were going to fight a prolonged war with Iran we might even need to reinstate the military draft because our forces are simply not large enough to occupy Iran with all the other commitments we have around the world. Good luck with that one Mr. Romney.
One foreign policy goof up resulting in a protracted terrorist/insurgency war that lasts for years would economically be the end of the U.S. as we know it as a superpower. We have no more money or resources to urinate away in disastrous new wars against a very militarily tough and well armed Iran. Iran has 73 million people with a geographical area of 628,000 square miles with 532,000 soldiers on active duty and at least the potential for one million more in reserve. Iran has heavy weapons like tanks, jet aircraft, artillery, and a thousand of short ranged ballistic missiles and thousands more cruise missiles and artillery rockets. These GOP neocon idiots were stupid enough to start a war with Iraq in 2003 when were already were fighting in Afghanistan and basically lost both wars. These GOP neocon idiots might be stupid enough to bomb Iran or get sucked into one by the Israeli lobby. We simply as a country do not have the resources to waste but that does not mean that it would stop these GOP neocon idiots if they got into power again. This thought scares the hell out of me.
Well said!!
Romney's a billboard. To say that the elections will be a failure means that whoever is elected will be a failure which perhaps seems to synopsize Rachel Maddow's take on politics. Maddow is apparently saying that unless her position is adopted on Afghanistan, then the Afghanistan mission and whoever is elected to our American Presidency will be a failure. Pundits are such humble folks. Maddow says that whatever happens is gonna be a failure. Maddow is a depressive and that's why so many folks luv'her. Gobama!
Low blow, asswipe.
It's true. In "Rolling Stone," Maddow said she's not a Democrat and that she is a depressive. What is also clearly true is that Maddowites like you are among the nastiest, most mean spirited bloggers in America. . Your comments are predictably nasty, uncouth, and mean spirited, you're a Maddowite. Maddowites tend to be reliably mean and uncouth. You folks are predictable. Gobama!
And yes, you really should remind yourself to wipe more often, cause' you're uncouth and foul, like most true Maddowites. Gobama 2012!
It also seems to be quite true that many Maddowites gather round Miss Maddow distinctly because they share her depressive qualities.
Are you taking some medication? If not take some please. Focus and respond to the message.
..people! the topic is AFGHANISTAN! remember? maybe there is a reason romney and the GOP don't discuss America's forgotten war. Who cares?
Maddow has been surely underlining her recent "I'm not a Democrat" statement in "Rolling Stone." Doctor Maddow is slowly coming into focus. She's been a bit of a holographic blur thus far. .whilst she was pretending to be a Democrat.
"Lean Forward"? If this isn't an Obama biased network I don't know what is. How about getting back to responsible journalism? Get rid of Schultz, Maddow, Matthews and Sharpton.
..and replace them with Curly, Larry and Moe and...DOH!!!
Only if Fox news does the same with O'reilly and company.
I cannot follow Maddow's thinking on Afghanistan and how this election will fail us as a nation. What debate is she talking about? The American people (70%) want out of Afghanistan and they're not interested in a war with Iran, Russia, Syria or anyone else. The debate on the way forward in Afghanistan is over as far as the American people are concerned. President Obama is committed to complete the withdrawal by the summer of 2014. The withdrawal of the surge troops was completed this month.
However, Romney didn't hire a foreign policy team dominated by neocons by accident. If Romney is elected I would expect a belligerent foreign policy of endless war. Romney has said as much. That's the price to pay to satisfy Aldelson, the Israeli lobby, the Christian right, as well as other wealthy donors. Romney signed off on McCain's insane warmongering speech.
Robust debate, and the will of the people that Maddow refers to is a nice thought but is non-sense. The massive propaganda onslaught the American people will be subjected to prior to a military attack on Iran will shape public opinion just as it did prior to Iraq. What disinformation shall we debate?
Maddow lives in MaddowLand with her Maddowites, who amount to about 1/3rd of 1% of Americans. She's an outlier exiled on her own private island. Gobama 2012!
Well why he have to obey to anyone ?
He is the choice of Merchants who impose him over the gop choice and they will not spend one sheet of toilet paper to make their conscience clean.
People need to see Maddow in perspective. She recently started that she's not a Democrat. She's clearly not a Republican. She's not a libertarian. She exists outside of the political party structure, on her own private island with about 1/3rd of 1% of Americans who tune in her program of which approximately 50% agree with her. She's almost a ghost. Maddow is a rabblereousing catbird. She's not really a serious national presence. The truth is that Maddow is kind of a depressive political oddity. She's so far out, she's not really in the game. She's in the peanut gallery for rich rabblerousing catbirds. Gobama!
Rachel: We have ALL thanked the troops - for years. Every American, Republican and/or Democrat, is well aware of the service our troops volunteered for and performed, as well as the sacrifices they have made. And not just in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars either. Enough. We get it. They get it. By the way, the service personnel I have spoken to, who have been in Afghanistan and Iraq, don't want Obama back in! What does that tell you? Think exodus. The country this administration has created is NOT the country they went to war for. They went to fight for freedom. Obama has been chipping away at such freedom for 3 1/2 years. All Americans are heroes for the sacrifices we have made. We may not have suffered physical death or loss of limbs, but we have reaped the damage caused by this mismanaged and over zealous administration. Our "battle scars" are well apparent. We have been subject to the destruction of our economy and have witnessed the attempts to bring a slow death to our democracy. Why doesn't BHO thank ALL of the American people? Those who have lost their homes, those who are now homeless, those who do not know where their next meal will come from, single mom's working two or more jobs or who can't find work at all, the long term unemployed who internalize it as their own failure ( even though it is NOT their fault), those who were forced to use up all of their retirement , those who were forced into bankruptcy ( some who may never recover), those over 50 who are now working part time for minimum wage ( if at all ) and who have kids in college, the college kids who have been lied to and can't find work but are strapped with massive student loan debt, the numerous small business owners who have gone under, the remaining small business owners who face daily fear and uncertainty about the future of their business but who show up every day. They/we are heroes, too. Gas prices remain high, food prices are more and more astronomical - the list goes go on and on. This administrations policies and deceptions have cut off our economical limbs. Everyday American's are enduring health problems, both psychological and physical, related to the stress that has been assaultive and unrelenting. By all accounts, it may seem that BHO's initial and ultimate plan is working; that he is bringing America and its people to its knees. Think again. He has only tested our strength. Soon, but not soon enough, he will be out of office. He won't be sitting in that chair. We will see the back of his head walking away from OUR White House and getting on the helicopter one last time. And to that, America and all we stand for, will say, "Thank you." We may experience some temporary economic PTSD, but we WILL recover. We WILL stand up. We WILL survive. We ARE a resilient people. We ARE a strong nation. "We CAN do this. We WILL do this!" Romney/Ryan 2012!!!
"
The truth is that Americans agree with President Obama's timetable for troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. When Maddow says "WE" she is referring to pretend Americans in her head. In actual reality we, meaning Americans in general, agree with President Obama's Afghanistan withdrawal timetable. Maddow is seemingly withdrawing more deeply into her own world, imo. Also, yer'a'goofball. Gobama!.
RE: Ms Young:
Another fact free rant from the deluded and delusional, incapable of the telling the truth, divisive in their language, bitter at their own catastrophic failures, and disappointed that their assured self-righteousness has been exposed as little more than rank hypocrisy.
By any measure President Obama has done a magnificent job and I am hopeful that he will be re-elected for the sake of our nation.
Rachel- Rachel - Rachel.. what are you smoking girl?
Rachel needs a guy to straighten her out.