Mitt Romney has just finished his world tour! And this prompts 2 questions from this blogger, Americans and others throughout the world: why? and what did he accomplish?
The "why" was answered by one of Romney's top political strategists, Stuart Stevens who said that Mitt Romney did this tour to "get a better sense of events on the ground..."
Now getting an understanding of events on the ground in Israel is understandable. We've had a conflict in the Middle East since Adam and Eve. But Poland? Great Britain? What conflicts are we involved with there? Terrorism? Or perhaps great business deals happening on a global level? Maybe Mitt Romney needs a map. Although we do have business in most countries throughout the world; that is evidence by the number of McDonald's, Pizza Hut's and KFC's you can find; Poland and Great Britain aren't big on the hit parade; China and India are. And Mr Romney knows that all too well; as those as two countries his former Bain Capital sent thousands of American jobs to. Or perhaps he is confused as to who is voting for him- for it's we here in the United States, not the citizens of Poland, Great Britain or Israel.
As for Israel; our biggest challenge is peace...which most people believe comes down to a two state solution; how that is implemented, where the dividing lines are, etc. that is the challenge for Israel, the challenge for the Palestinians and for the world.
Another "why" answer might be how Mitt Romney likes to tell potential voters what they want to hear, show them what they want to see; which is just what he was doing in Israel, appealing to the Jewish population of American voters worldwide; showing them he was "pro Israel."
But when we get to what Mitt Romeny accomplished, although Mr Stevens called this trip a "great success," it clearly wasn't. This was not a great success for Poland, Great Britain or even Israel. This was not a great success for Mr Romney and his presence, representing our nation as a potential would be commander in chief; was not a great success for America and moreso our reputation worldwide.
After 8 years of the Bush Administration, after the invasion of the sovereign nation of Iraq based on a lie, after the photos of Abu Grahib, after violating the geneva conventions with the discovery of waterboarding and other forms of torture; the world viewed America as a big cowboy on our high horse looking down at the other nations of the world. And with his comments criticizing Great Britian's security system for the Olympics, and with his comments about the "culture" of Israel being the reason Israeli's are thriving economically over the Palesitinians; Mitt Romney set us back with one "world tour" all the while the cameras were rolling. And on a side note, having visited Israel and lived there briefly, the reason the Palestinians can't compete economically with the Israeli's is because they're living behind walls, in a ghetto like environment; in short, they are oppressed. Is it the "culture" of the rich white men like Mitt Romney that make him thrive economically moreso than a minority in America? Or is it lack of opportunity, prejudice, etc?
I think Mr Romney needs an education in diplomatic etiquette to say the least. If you visit another person's home you don't put your feet on the furniture, nor do you tell them how to arrange it. If you want to be President of the greatest nation in the world; and that job isn't currently yours, you show something I don't believe Mr Romney has ever shown in his life, is capable of showing and perhaps a big reason he is not liked by American voters, even Republicans and that is HUMILITY.
If you go to Great Britian, you applaud their efforts, the great city of London, the leaders and leadership you may work with if in fact you reach your goal and win that big prize of four years in the oval office. In striving to get the Jewish vote, and their money for your campaign, you don't alienate the Muslim/Arab world in the process; remember, we are striving for peace, not further conflict. And Mr Romney knows that this 'world tour' will not have an encore, as he even refused to answer questions about his gaffes to the press.
Lastly, my mother once told me that not everyone is going to like you.....Mitt Romney should take note- and stop trying for he is making more enemies than friends for himself and for America.
Listen to me Monday through Friday 12 AM to 1 AM on WWRL 1600.
It seems that everybody wants to know what's been going on at the NSA. Everybody, that is, except for 53 US Senators. Last week Senators were given a briefing by high-ranking intelligence officials about the surveillance programs. Only 47...
Tea Party senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) says that "restoring faith in government" is "the wrong solution." Well then by all means, keep talking, Senator. Instead, Johnson says "we need to engender that healthy distrust, that healthy...
Senator Elizabeth Warren is fighting hard for government transparency, and it has nothing to do with the NSA. On Thursday, Senator Warren sent a letter to President Obama's U.S. trade negotiations nominee, calling on the Administration to...
While signing a Merry Christmas bill in June, legalizing usage of phrases like 'Merry Christmas' on school property, Texas Governor Rick Perry took the opportunity to appeal to his evangelical base. "I'm proud we are standing up for...
The Supreme Court ruled that human genes cannot be patented, because they are a product of nature. However, the offered a compromise which allowed synthetic, complementary DNA, known as cDNA, to be protected by patent law, because it is not...
Before last week, very few people knew the name Edward Snowden. Not the case now. It seems he's either a hero or traitor, depending on who you talk to and their political ideology. No matter what you think of him, however, we owe him a...
The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives will do anything to avoid getting any actual work done. As if 37 votes to repeal Obamacare didn't waste enough taxpayer time and money, the House GOP has decided to vote on a...
We need to have a debate over surveillance. Even more, we need to have a debate over exactly who is doing the surveilling. Government surveillance can be worrisome, but it's much more worrisome when the surveillance is being done by private...
Today, the United States Senate will begin debate on the so-called comprehensive immigration plan. Senators will consider the overall legislation, and dozens of amendments, before a final vote can be reached. The debate is likely to last...
Is Edward Snowden a whistleblower or a leaker? This story still has a lot of gray areas. For now, he's something like a whistle-leaker. To some people, Snowden is a hero, to others he is a traitor. To most Americans, he's the guy whose face in...
