Portraying Obama as a Wimp
Published in Vzglyad
(Russia) on 27 March 2012
by Sergey Markov (link to original)
(Russia) on 27 March 2012
by Sergey Markov (link to original)
Translated from
by Joanna Swirszcz.
Edited by Hodna Nuernberg.
It is necessary to analyze Mitt Romney’s statements in the context of the campaign battle. It’s clear that Romney assumes that he has already won the Republican primaries and is preparing for the battle with Obama.
Insofar as Obama has been getting relations with Russia back on track, Romney’s task is to prove that Obama is carrying out flawed policies because Russia appears to be the main adversary of the United States. And Romney wants to portray Obama as a wimp who would make concessions to Russia, while at the same time presenting himself as a cool guy who is defending American interests.
But Barack Obama actually defends the real interests of the U.S. more than Romney.
Romney is just suggesting the same style of politics that those radicals and aggressors, such as Dick Cheney and George W. Bush, followed and who managed — through their actions — to make so many people all over the world begin to hate America.
Barack Obama is currently trying to fix their mistakes. He’s betting on the fact that the U.S. has become a peaceful leader, engaging in continuous dialogue with other countries.
But the neoconservatives, who are trying to gain control over Romney, are striving to make America the lord of the whole world, subjecting all other nations to its rule without a thought for their interests.
Romney, if he becomes president, will implement the policies of the neoconservatives.
And it’s not worth justifying his words as campaign talk. This will not absolve him of responsibility.
This is Romney’s most grave geopolitical mistake.
During the 2008 presidential campaign, when Republicans were battling with Obama, they instigated the war with South Ossetia.
I suppose that John McCain, Dick Cheney, and Condoleeza Rice led Saakashvili to believe that the Republicans were interested in provoking Russia into military action. And all this in order to simulate the start of the Cold War, the very conditions under which the “wimp” Obama would be likely to lose against the “strong” McCain.
So, now Romney is ready for a nuclear war, just for the sake of his own victory?! If you go with his claim, that sort of conclusion is possible.
Undoubtedly, the United States is now the strongest nation in the world. But strength should not give rise to irresponsibility, as it has among the neoconservatives. On the contrary, great strength means great responsibility. This is what we expect from America’s political leadership.
Some would have liked for Romney’s words to have turned out to be “a slip of the tongue.” Or that he would have apologized for them — not to have apologized to Russians or to Russia, but rather, to have apologized to the voters whom he has been leading into deception.
Or maybe Romney wants the U.S. budget neither to serve the American people nor to increase their wealth, but instead to serve new foreign policy adventures?
In the beginning, they were fighting mythical weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Afterwards, they got tangled up in an adventure in the Caucasus in order to hold Russia in check ...
But I am sure that the American people are a smart people, and they would hardly pick a presidential candidate for whom Russia is the main geopolitical foe.
Romney’s words about Russia’s continued support for Syria testify to his ignorance of foreign policy. Russia doesn’t support Syria. We support the principle of nonintervention into the internal politics of independent nations. The principle of opposing the outbreak of civil war.
During his time, Vladimir Putin told George W. Bush, “It’s not necessary to start a war in Iraq!” And during that time, the American press also wrote that Russia was holding an anti-American position and supporting Saddam Hussein’s criminal regime.
But as it turned out, President Bush quickly took an anti-American position by starting the war in Iraq. If he had heeded Putin’s advice, if he had not started that insane war, then America might have been more respected in the world.
This is the same thing that we tell the United States with regard to a possible war in Syria: Don’t do anything stupid! It is unnecessary to be aggressive simply because you want to punish and bomb Syria. There is no reason to bomb anyone! And the rest of the world will have a much easier time dealing with a non-aggressive United States!
These are the common truths that Mitt Romney, too, must come to understand.
Insofar as Obama has been getting relations with Russia back on track, Romney’s task is to prove that Obama is carrying out flawed policies because Russia appears to be the main adversary of the United States. And Romney wants to portray Obama as a wimp who would make concessions to Russia, while at the same time presenting himself as a cool guy who is defending American interests.
But Barack Obama actually defends the real interests of the U.S. more than Romney.
Romney is just suggesting the same style of politics that those radicals and aggressors, such as Dick Cheney and George W. Bush, followed and who managed — through their actions — to make so many people all over the world begin to hate America.
Barack Obama is currently trying to fix their mistakes. He’s betting on the fact that the U.S. has become a peaceful leader, engaging in continuous dialogue with other countries.
But the neoconservatives, who are trying to gain control over Romney, are striving to make America the lord of the whole world, subjecting all other nations to its rule without a thought for their interests.
Romney, if he becomes president, will implement the policies of the neoconservatives.
And it’s not worth justifying his words as campaign talk. This will not absolve him of responsibility.
This is Romney’s most grave geopolitical mistake.
During the 2008 presidential campaign, when Republicans were battling with Obama, they instigated the war with South Ossetia.
I suppose that John McCain, Dick Cheney, and Condoleeza Rice led Saakashvili to believe that the Republicans were interested in provoking Russia into military action. And all this in order to simulate the start of the Cold War, the very conditions under which the “wimp” Obama would be likely to lose against the “strong” McCain.
So, now Romney is ready for a nuclear war, just for the sake of his own victory?! If you go with his claim, that sort of conclusion is possible.
Undoubtedly, the United States is now the strongest nation in the world. But strength should not give rise to irresponsibility, as it has among the neoconservatives. On the contrary, great strength means great responsibility. This is what we expect from America’s political leadership.
Some would have liked for Romney’s words to have turned out to be “a slip of the tongue.” Or that he would have apologized for them — not to have apologized to Russians or to Russia, but rather, to have apologized to the voters whom he has been leading into deception.
Or maybe Romney wants the U.S. budget neither to serve the American people nor to increase their wealth, but instead to serve new foreign policy adventures?
In the beginning, they were fighting mythical weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Afterwards, they got tangled up in an adventure in the Caucasus in order to hold Russia in check ...
But I am sure that the American people are a smart people, and they would hardly pick a presidential candidate for whom Russia is the main geopolitical foe.
Romney’s words about Russia’s continued support for Syria testify to his ignorance of foreign policy. Russia doesn’t support Syria. We support the principle of nonintervention into the internal politics of independent nations. The principle of opposing the outbreak of civil war.
During his time, Vladimir Putin told George W. Bush, “It’s not necessary to start a war in Iraq!” And during that time, the American press also wrote that Russia was holding an anti-American position and supporting Saddam Hussein’s criminal regime.
But as it turned out, President Bush quickly took an anti-American position by starting the war in Iraq. If he had heeded Putin’s advice, if he had not started that insane war, then America might have been more respected in the world.
This is the same thing that we tell the United States with regard to a possible war in Syria: Don’t do anything stupid! It is unnecessary to be aggressive simply because you want to punish and bomb Syria. There is no reason to bomb anyone! And the rest of the world will have a much easier time dealing with a non-aggressive United States!
These are the common truths that Mitt Romney, too, must come to understand.