Can it even get worse than this in the GOP Primary? Think Progress reports Romney stated he would abdicate American foreign policy towards Israel . . . to Israel:
Now it seems that a President Romney will allow the Israeli government to decide American policy toward that country. The free daily newspaper Israel Hayom — a media outlet closely associated with right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — asked Romney if, as president, he would ever consider moving the American Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. In his answer, Romney made some astonishing claims. First, that his policy toward Israel will be guided by Israeli leaders; second, on the Jerusalem issue, he’d do whatever Israel tells him to do; and third, he does not think the United States should take a leadership role in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict:
ROMNEY: The actions that I will take will be actions recommended and supported by Israeli leaders. I don’t seek to take actions independent of what our allies think is best, and if Israel’s leaders thought that a move of that nature would be helpful to their efforts, then that’s something I’ll be inclined to do. But again, that’s a decision which I would look to the Israeli leadership to help guide. I don’t think America should play the role of the leader of the peace process, instead we should stand by our ally. Again, my inclination is to follow the guidance of our ally Israel, as to where our facilities and embassies would exist.
Yowza. TP flushes it out in their must read post but there’s even more frightening quotes in the interview at Israel Hayom. Asked how he would change Obama’s policy if he were in the White House:
By being silent as protesters took to the streets in Iran, by not establishing crippling sanctions against Iran for their nuclear program, and by not mouthing a credible military threat to their ongoing nuclear program. The right course is for the president to declare that a nuclear Iran is unacceptable to America, and to punctuate that commitment. I have called for us to deploy two aircraft carrier task forces, one to the gulf, one to the Mediterranean to communicate our resolve in that regard.
Sounds like war drums for Iran.
This won’t be a major policy change in the way the US government treats the Israeli government. After all, US politicians have been deferring to the Israel lobby and to the Israeli government on matters related to Israel.
The difference here is that there is no shame left. It’s out in the open. It is the same with the New York Times. One used to have to dig up information about the ideological affiliations and the donors of that newspaper, or analyze over a period of several months the paper’s coverage in order to draw conclusions from such analysis. Not anymore. The paper’s Jerusalem reporter can have a son in the Israeli army, and the newspaper doesn’t care about the public relations repercussions, or its professional or ethical standing.
Throughout history, this kind of chutzpah was the hallmark of corrupt empires and corrupt regimes that were on the verge of collapsing from within.
Forgive this disturbing metaphor, but it’s like an infection where the wound can no longer contain the pus, and so it bursts and starts to leak out.
No one in power bothers to hide his or her perverted agenda, anymore. The king is naked and he doesn’t care anymore.
Tar and feathers for the traitor.
Are you f***ing kidding me?! In addition to the most blatant public display of submission (and ass kissing) to Israel, these are probably the most irresponsible and reprehensible comments I have ever heard from a US official let alone a presidential candidate. How absolutely disgraceful. It seems like this election will be determined by which candidate can promise the greatest amount of blind support to our “best friend”.
Americans, get ready for the worst 4 years of this country’s history if ANYBODY in the GOP gets elected. War with Iran will be inevitable. God help us
Does Romney have any idea what it means to permanently place an aircraft carrier task force in the Gulf (presumably the Persian Gulf). Is he at all aware that the Iranians have the capacity to sink an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf? That is one ship with thousands of US sailors on board, not to mention the multiple cruisers and destroyers associated with such a task force. Is he totally insane? The US Navy is fully aware of Iran’s capability in this regard and that is why Admiral Fallon was so adamant in 2006 to avoid war with Iran.
Well, I suppose he had to say something that would outmatch Perry. I take back what I said before about him — Romney just made himself the topmost candidate for the Republican Party.
Obama? Pretty much screwed. (Well, so are the rest of us but then, the Wall Street and Oakland protests have shown us that, right?)