For the first time since FDR used his polio-ridden legs to kick the Germans and Japanese in their fascist asses (the Italians, too, but nobody really cares about them when we talk World War II), Democrats have an advantage on foreign policy. This is problematic for the Romney campaign, because a Democrat is in office, and they are Republicans, and they would like to not talk about foreign policy at all.
How better to deal with this issue of two wars, various bombings, global economic uncertainty and all the rest than to just dismiss it out of hand? (Protip: there is no better way, try it the next time you cheat on your spouse. Totes effective.)
“It doesn’t surprise me that they’re raising foreign policy because it’s another distraction from the Administration’s terrible economic record,” [Romney foreign policy advisor Robert] O’Brien told BuzzFeed. “They’re going from one shiny object to the next.”
Hahahaha, the entire country of Afghanistan is a shiny object! I’m sure that is comforting to all the people who live there and still deal with random roadside bombs. Shiny roadside bombs.
Of course, the Romney campaign cannot leave foreign policy as a stupid thing people talk about to distract from Romney’s winning message, no! Romney himself is a foreign policy guru.
And, he cautioned not to underestimate Romney’s foreign policy credentials.
“The Governor is an extraordinarily well-traveled businessman, he lived overseas as a young man, he speaks French, he understands the world and he’s written extensively about foreign policy and national security,” he continued. “The idea that he’s this naive guy at 65 years old, given his experience heading the Olympic Winter Games and everything else, I just don’t think that’s going to play.”
Mitt Romney speaks French! He lived overseas over four decades ago! He headed a competition of expensive winter sports in a picturesque spot for rich people! (DID YOU KNOW: Mitt Romney did not kill a single foreigner during the 2002 Olympic Games? That is infinitely fewer foreigners than NOBAMA.)
Mitt Romney will be the president the Bush campaign said John Kerry would be. Except better, because he enjoys his cheesesteak with gruyere.
[Buzzfeed]
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Rmoney will buy all the shiny objects in the world.
He is like the crow in this regard. Or is it blackbirds that like the shiny?
Magpies.
Shiny objects are people too, my friend.
(I don't even know what that means.)
Shiny happy people are people too, mon frere.
OT: But conservaturd trolls are attacking that nice young man who picked up the president.
http://gma.yahoo.com/pizza-man-bear-hugs-obama-st…
What a shock.
Meanwhile, the guy's charity has been getting gangbuster donations.
Yes, there are times when the DailyKos folks get a wee bit overexcited & wet themselves but they definitely have their hearts in the right places when it comes to stuff like this. They had a diary up yesterday with all the info on how to donate to this guy's charity.
If only there were more like him.
People, I mean, not necessarily Republicans.
Wait, is Sarah Palin running his campaign?
Someone check to see if the word 'shiny' is written on her hand.
It says "shitty" – a reminder to wash her hands after using the crapper
Weeeelllll, Munster's certainly seeming to resemble her more and more every day. Except less fun and charisma-free (but with a just as badly dressed family)
The time I spent in Afghanistan was none too shiny.
Maybe if you had blown all the desert dust off it.
It's dust all the way down.
Not sure if Firefly reference?
The only thing the President needs to know about foreigners is who do we bomb first.
WWWB? – Who Would W Bomb?
"he’s written extensively about foreign policy and national security,”
Your move, Henry Kissinger.
I suspect his extensive writings on foreign policy and national security are just as insightful and on target as his op-ed urging that the auto companies be allowed to just go bankrupt.
He wanted Detroit to go bankrupt so bain could buy it for a fraction of it's worth and ship it off to China after firing everyone and gutting their pension. USA!USA!
How does Evil War Dwarf Henry K get along w/Romney's tribe of neocon refugees? Not so well, one thinks. The neocons wrote elaborate bullshit op-eds before bombing, whereas Hank just kept it secret. These are profound policy differences.
Plus: China.
And, he cautioned not to underestimate Romney’s foreign policy credentials.
London calling and he lives by the river.
Mitzy's foreign policy – offend the locals and blame the Soviet Union.
This.
The Governor lived in France, but not in the way most young people do. He was in a highly controlled group and spent his time annoying French people about converting to his religion.
It would have done him a world of good to take off that tie and drink some wine, eat great food, and try to woo French women instead of going door to door.
Given his driving record over there, it was tough to woo the ladies into the back seat.
I'm pretty sure that's why they only ride bicycles now.
Too bad Mormonism doesn't have the equivalent of Rumspringa. I have a feeling there'd be far fewer of them!
All religions should have that "automatic out" clause built into them. A great social safety valve – the freedom of choice.
You don't hear about a lot of Amish terrorists blowing up public buildings, do you now?
Amish drive-bys are hilarious, too:Clop-clop, clop-clop, clop-clopbam!bam!bam!Clop-clop, clop-clop…
An Amish drive-by apparently consists of thrown tomatos. (Tomatoes? Who knows?)
The facts surrounding WIllard Romney's driving negligence on a French highway leading to the death of his passenger Leola Anderson in 1968 have been covered up, first to protect the presidential campaign of George Romney and now to protect the campaign of his son.
You know, I think you may be right about that, sounds plausible, but can you point to any corroboration? That would be nice.
For starters.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/07/17/1110907/…
Seriously, 'heading the Olympic games' that were held in the middle of UT qualifies as foreign policy experience? I do believe he's outdone 'I can see Russia from my front porch'.
l l l l l (These are straws that Team Romney is grasping.)
Hey, the Olympic Village is a small world after all.
Did Mittens provide 100K condoms like they did in England?
And so much fucking going on there among the steroid-fueled over-privileged Youngs. That had to make Mitt uncomfortable.
You and your damn ear-worm!
Mitt saw Russian gymnasts in tight leotards from Utah.
He saw some camel toe and was suddenly a Middle East expert
It's even more foreign when you've got a $1.5 billion government supplied slush fund to work with.
Prezident Obammer can do more than one thing at a time.
Romney's not some naive executive who would go to a foreign country and publicly offer condescending and insulting management consulting style critiques of their government or give away the names of their secret intelligence agencies.
Everything he knows about foreign policy he learned while watching skiing in Utah.
Mitt is a Cylon drone that can be reprogrammed to say whatever his rich friends want him to.
And Cylons are shiny objects. It all makes sense now.
Mitt's laundry list of things not to talk about is so long. The only real thing that government is responsible for is saying untrue snide things that make no difference. We need roads and schools and to deal with other people on the planet and stuff? Please with your hopey changey bullshit. How IS that working out for you?
Mitt has a laundry list of things to not talk about which includes his laundry. What symbolic prayer was embroidered on Ann's wedding night cover ups?
Speaking of laundry and Italians, that picture with dead Mussolini hanging upside down thing looked pretty effective. I kind of get how one could get to that point sometimes.
Sometimes when I am listening to Tom Morello I think it really could happen, even a small group could succeed. The number of the really powerful oilgarchs isn't all that huge. Targeting just a few would have a gigantic ripple effect in the fear it would produce in the others. Tipping points are a real thing.
Particularly in a country with the desperation levels we have now realized. Achieving a sense of actually doing something to help yourself is a REALPOWERFUL thing. I wish there was gonna be more to do when I start following Tom from UnionTown to UnionTown besides just sing real loud and read what his next guitar says. I feel all fighty again.
I think it was Revelation 22:12–"behold, I am coming soon."
Again with the Olympics.
Let's get one thing straight (or a couple if I have enough commas); he 'saved' an event no-one in authority was trying to cancel, faced with addressing massive bribery charges against Utah government officials he hid his investigations and destroyed his papers within weeks after the games were over, he procured hundreds of million dollars from the federal government to close the gap created by bad planning and dubious spending oversight and he chose the dumbest looking mascot in all Olympic history.
This is so true: he saved an event that no one would have let fail, simply because the logistics of moving the games someplace else on such short notice would have overwhelmed the costs of salvaging those games by a geometric factor, plus the hit to national esteem…"You mean they couldn't even put on a simple Olympics? A Winter one, no less?"…would have been fairly substantial. You could have put Lancelot Link in charge of those Games (Or W) and they would have muddled by.
And this varies from Republican SOPs in what way?
That description makes me feel that Mittens would be a preznit in the Raygun mold….cut the fuck out of the social system, cut the fuck out of taxes and overspend on blowing shit up – and still never balance a fucking budget. Oh, wait, I forgot that's the GOP playbook for the past 30 plus years.
Olympics: too big to fail.
"Mitt Romney did not kill a single foreigner during the 2002 Olympic Games"
In this dangerous world, does America need a pacifist in the White House?
he lived overseas as a young man,
Avoiding serving in the Viet Nam war. It's called "draft dodging".
TED NUGENT LIBELZ!!!!!!
Growing up in Canada, I met many young American men getting similar foreign policy experience.
So all those times I snuck up to Canada to score cheap drugs qualified me to be president too?
Sure thing. And all the gays that took a vacation in Toronto to get married? Totally Commander-in-Chief material.
I went to British Columbia to visit family a couple of times during the Kennedy administration. I went to a Fleet Week kind of event and was allowed to board a Soviet submarine. I was impressed with the security employed–sheets of cardboard covering up sensitive electronics. The sailors were all polite and spoke at least a little English, and were eager to speak with me because I lived in San Francisco, go Giants! At 10 years old, I remember wondering what all the Cold War bullshit was all about…
How is you're not president yet? You could see Russia from inside one of its own submarines!
Did you see the video with the gay Veitnam vet? Mitt pointed out that he was surving his church in France while the vet was serving his country in Vietnam. Bicycling the French countryside is totally equivalent to getting shot at in the jungles of Vietnam.
at 65 years old
…would be the third oldest president ever. That didn't work out so well last time.
That could be a good campaign slogan: "Mitt Romney: Because he won't show obvious signs of Alzheimer's until midway through a second term"
Romney campaign, please keep reminding us that Mitt has reached the nominal retirement age. For the next teevee ad, put him on a porch in a rocking chair.
Fucker will probably collect social security and medicare too.
I would love to see a moderator ask him about that in a debate–although I know they'd be more likely to ask him if he's seen any UFOs lately.
if obama went on some weird French mission, I'm sure the GOP would never mention it.
Especially not if he avoided serving in a war (that others were conscripted to fight) by doing so.
And we know the GOP is really picky about this kind of thing, because Bush Administration.
Especially if while on said mission he fell into a coma and woke up "a different person".
Yeah, I'm sure they'd never mention it.
Regarding foreign policy, Mitt would adopt the missionary position.
"…he speaks French…"
That'll shore up the base of slobbering repugtards, you fucking moran.
Unless he's really fucking stupid (which is a possibility), he noticed what happened to Huntsman. He won't be speaking any French until after November, that's for sure.
"You may not discuss anything relevant to my ability to perform the job of president. I will fix everything, but I won't tell you how until I'm elected. Vote for me, commoners!"
"Always twirling, twirling, twirling towards freedom"
"Vote for me, you people"
Fixed.
GOP – Not Up To The Task. They deal in images not facts. Their operations system is a codified social pathology. Their actions are best described as delusional paranoid schizophrenic. Sick, very sick.
Putin: "Mitt, go fuck yourself"
Mitt: "How dare you! I led the Winter Olympics! Apologize now!"
Oooh, and then Putin slaps Mitt in the face with a glove & a duel ensues on PPV. I would totally pay $50 to see that.
And Putin will be shirtless, you know this.
Mittens is so good at foreign policy, that when he was in England and Poland recently, he managed to stick both his feet in his mouth while shoving his head up his ass. Now that is some serious high level management skill multi-tasking.
He became the Pretzeldent!
As mentioned before: "American Borat"
What Romney knows how to say in French:
N'aimeriez-vous pas à arrêter de fumer et boire du café et du vin?
et d'être humain
By the time he left he had learned some more phrases too, to reel 'em in once that first sentence hooked 'em good:
"…et cesser le sexe hors de mariage, et ne porter que les vestons bleu et les chausettes blancs? Et donner une dixieme de ton argent à une grande église qui se trouve dans une désert d'Amerique? Une église qui prêche des doctrines suivantes …..?"
Isn't this from a Magritte painting? You know, the one with a vagina for a face.
Clearly this tactic has been well thought out given the incredible amount of time the Republicans took to remember our troops during the convention.
I base my vote primarily on foreign policy in virtually every presidential election. In terms of the economy I share Kurt Vonnegut’s view that the power of the presidency is similar to the steering wheel on a toddler’s old fashion car seat. In terms of our standing in the world an un-thoughtful executive can make immediate and consequential missteps
I have tried to push up the ladder this plan for a campaign ad.
Voice Over: "Of all Constitutional Powers available on Inauguration Day the most critically important is the President's ability to act as Commander in Chief to protect us from harm."
Then run a number of clips where Romney makes one of his 'xxxx is not important', 'I don't care about xxxx' and 'I.m not going to give you a laundry list of xxxx'
The fade to the massive billows of smoke, ash and dust coming toward the cameras on 9/11
Well at least Obama “has kept us safe”, when the Republican Party used that line they were taking advantage of the largest Mulligan in history.
Some of Mitt's friends own foreign countries.
I didn't realize it before, but now I see that foreign policy is really just an inconsequential distraction, like flag lapel pins, welfare queens in Cadillacs, and the persecution of Christians right here in the USA.
So you think you've got foreign policy experience, Barack? How many Frogs have you personally converted to Mormonism, Mr. smarty pants Law Review?…. Yeah, that's what I thought.
This Romney guy, he converted the frogs or he ate their legs? Sounds very cannibalistic to me.
Coincidentally, the exact same number as Mittens!
Is that true?
I must have missed all the stories on how many people the Mittster actually converted.
I don't know if it's true or not, but what self-respecting Frenchman-or woman-would give up a life of hedonism and debauchery to follow the teachings of USAmerican Jesus?
Well, as Mitt would know, the French have a word for everything…including failure. Romney = Reagan-manque.
Uh oh. He's going to appoint John Bolton as Bauble Czar, isn't he.
This is my favorite post yet.
Mitt learned French from the hookers that hung out at the hotel he was staying at and doesn't understand why voulez-vous coucher avec moi is considered offensive.
"Mr. Hollande, I'd like to welcome you to the US with the warm greeting I learned from the friendly people of your own country: Ici, Lisse – Cheveux! Veut-on chauffer mon trou?"
But can Mittens windsurf?
~
No, but he does jet ski.
If only Obummerz would quit distracting everybody Mittens could then discuss the details of his various plans to create those 12M jerbs that are predicted to be created anyhoo.
I can't wait for the debates, when we get to watch Obama walk Mitt into a wall like he's a blind teacher.
Do we need a President who, according to his own campaign, has started 'Debate Preparation' ONE WHOLE MONTH before the debate? How stupid or insecure is this guy? Where is he, again no campaign appearances yesterday?
Is "Debate Preparation" the new 'hiking the Appalachian Trail'?
You know who else counted their Olympics as foreign policy experience?
Bill Bradley?
Athenians?
Helene Bertha Amalie "Leni" Riefenstahl?
Karl Lewis.
Oscar P. Sorryass
Yes, let's get back to talking about the real issues, like when a rape is legitimate and how gross the gays are.
And God's message spread through dimes and shit! Don't forget the war on pocket change! That does not exist! But never forget!
"It doesn’t surprise me that they’re out there killing Osama bin Laden because it’s another distraction from the Administration’s terrible economic record."
This is just a slightly more sophisticated way of saying "Uzbeki-beki-beki-stan-stan".
Romney just brought a mirror ball to a knife fight.
And this on the High Holy Day of 9/11. The Romney campaign is despicable.
How do you say "draft dodger" in French?
Le Neo Conservateev?
I don't know how it's spelled but it's pronounced "poo-SAY".
The "Royale with Cheese."
~
given his experience heading the Olympic Winter Games
If that's the case, the guy who runs the line and puts you in the little cars at "It's a Small World" should at least be our UN Ambassador.
And any child who has visited World Showcase at Epcot is just as qualified as Mittens is.
You and Baldar are both going to hell – stop with that ear-worm!!!
I can look at shiny objects for hours and hours when I'm on a sugar high.
And, he cautioned not to underestimate Romney’s foreign policy credentials.
here they are:
1. pissing off britain
2. pissing off palestinians and embarrassing israel
3. acting like a fool in poland
4. not convincing french people to give up wine
5. promising to bomb iran
But on the plus side, he's got the "causing fatalities on foreign soil" thing down pat. On the minus side, they were Americans. So it's kind of a wash, on that point.
actually john kerry can run circles around mittbot's foreign policy credentials and would make a reasonable sec of state.
This Rmoney fellow is a disingenuous peckerhead.
Yup. The anniversary of the 911 attacks is probably the best day to compare Foreign Policy to an inconsequential shiny object.
Mittens' "foreign policy experience" consists of perusing his Cayman Island and Swiss bank account statements.
Know who else marched through France on a conversion project?!
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission?
The soshulis's cramming the free soshulis health care down the throats of the peoplez? Who promptly surrendered, again.
Jacques Cousteau?
I thought you said 'swam through France on a conservation project.'
Julius Caesar?
Backpackers fifty years ago, trying to do Yurp on a dollar a day?
Ben, moi je parle français aussi. Romney est un trou de cul extraordinaire. Sans surprise, les français ne l'aiment pas trop non plus.
It's funny how all the things they can attack Obama on – heavy-handed Middle Eastern policy, drone attacks, militantly pro-Israel, Guantanamo – are all things they also want, if not want even more of. I've noticed they've at least hinted at the "Well if we're serious about helping Israel why haven't we nuked Iran yet?!" line now and then, but even then that can only go so far.
I should be depressed that the two parties have basically the same foreign policy approaches, with the significant difference that one party has shown itself to be more likely to just straight-up invade, destroy, and rebuild a country for no reason, but, hey, as long as it's something else that makes Romney and co. say dumb shit like this.
I speak French. I can haz prezidensity, s'il vous plait?
I am already against the next shiny war…
Spent so much time in France, even speaks the language, yet according to Ann still refuses to eat pussy on religious grounds. This will not stand!
I bet Romney's nest has quite a few stolen shiny objects in it…
Geeze, Daniel Larrison at The American Conservative has been whacking Romney's "foreign policy expertise" like it's a piñata, John Judis at TNR did it today, Chait and a host of others likewise. The guy has weird, neo-con views that are strange to the rest of the country, but accepted inside the beltway as some sort of received wisdom.
I am a Mitt voter and Republican forever and if this so-called President, Obama, wins a new term, America is doomed and I shall therefore leave the country forever after the election. Please suggest to your Republican friends to join me in the Cayman Islands.
Where is Lisa Wines?
The world won't be shiny for long after Romney declares war on Iran…
Equating mention of "the troops" with mention of "military spending".
Referring to active conflicts where we have troops currently deployed, and dying, as a "shiny object".
Americans (especially feckless Independents) take note: this is what real "disdain for the troops" actually looks like.
You can see the Mitzer and the Boy Wonder get testy whenever they are asked to go "off script" — that is talk about anything besides "the economy" except maybe the occasional dog whistle. They are immensely frustrated when both the press and their opposition continue to bring up these other issues whether its marriage, drugs, foreign policy or even "the tropps." I can't wait for the debate to see whether Mitt actually answers any non-"economy" related questions or simply decides to hold his breath until his head explodes.
And just how well does RMoney's extensive foreign experience stack up against being born in Kenya and raised a Muslim in Indonesia?
Does anyone know how many Frenchies Mittens succeeded in converting? I can't really judge his "foreign policy credentials" until I know his success rate at this incredibly important matter of national security.
Fuck the Italians!
When your army is the biggest in human history, and your defense budget is bigger than the one from the rest of the world combined, foreign policy is for pussies.
I could yell this out with you:
"Me and my people are hungry
Me and my people are through
Me and my people are ready
Me and my people are just about due
I'm a massive air strike on a beautiful night
Yeah this is my song I'm singin
Somebody better start countin
We're comin out and we're comin
Out swinging"
We'll be needing that Camaro.
Oh hell yeah, let's do it. You just made me clap at my computer screen. I love it.
Follow the bouncing ball!
Absolutely. I'll tell Chet.
l'audace, encore de l'audace, et toujours de l'audace!
Yum. You know I love a French call to bravery. It's just so, (Eddie Izzard face) fucking French.
Or whatever it takes, same thing.
audacer – to dare, toujours, always. No matter what. I like it.
I will dare, even, almost
How young are you?
How old am I?
Let's count the rings around my eyes
How smart are you?
How dumb am I?
Don't count on any of my advice
Oh, meet me anyplace or anywhere or anytime
Now I don't care, meet me tonight
If you will dare, I might dare
love love love.
Toujours
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