Romney: Obama has diminished American leadership around the world
Mitt Romney accused President Barack Obama of having "diminished American leadership" around the world with his foreign policy approach and suggested his administration had put the lives of American service members at risk by leaking classified national security details to the media.
In a hard-hitting speech before the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Reno, Nev., the presumptive Republican nominee slammed Obama on an array of foreign policy frontsincluding what he described as Obama's "shabby treatment" of Israel. And echoing his usual message on the campaign trail, Romney trashed Obama's handling of the nation's economy, arguing it has made America's position in the world even weaker.
"The president's policies have made it harder to recover from the deepest recession in 70 years, exposed the military to cuts that no one can justify, compromised our national security secrets, and in dealings with other nations, given trust where it is not earned, insult where it is not deserved, and apology where it is not due," Romney declared. "American leadership depends, as it always has, on our economic strength, on our military strength, and on our moral strength. If any of these falter, no skill of diplomacy or presidential oratory can compensate."
Romney stepped up pressure on Obama to investigate whether members of his administration are leaking classified security details to benefit his presidency. He called on Obama to appoint a special counsel--calling the leaks a "national security crisis" that puts the "lives of American servicemen and women at stake."
"Exactly who in the White House betrayed these secrets? Did a superior authorize it? These are things that Americans are entitled to know--and they are entitled to know right now," Romney said. "If the president believes--as he said last week--that the buck stops with him, then he owes all Americans a full and prompt accounting of the facts."
Romney tells it like it is. The buck stops with the president. We need to know. And now!
Mitt Romney accused President Barack Obama of having "diminished American leadership" around the world with his foreign policy approach and suggested his administration had put the lives of American service members at risk by leaking classified national security details to the media.
In a hard-hitting speech before the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Reno, Nev., the presumptive Republican nominee slammed Obama on an array of foreign policy frontsincluding what he described as Obama's "shabby treatment" of Israel. And echoing his usual message on the campaign trail, Romney trashed Obama's handling of the nation's economy, arguing it has made America's position in the world even weaker.
"The president's policies have made it harder to recover from the deepest recession in 70 years, exposed the military to cuts that no one can justify, compromised our national security secrets, and in dealings with other nations, given trust where it is not earned, insult where it is not deserved, and apology where it is not due," Romney declared. "American leadership depends, as it always has, on our economic strength, on our military strength, and on our moral strength. If any of these falter, no skill of diplomacy or presidential oratory can compensate."
Romney stepped up pressure on Obama to investigate whether members of his administration are leaking classified security details to benefit his presidency. He called on Obama to appoint a special counsel--calling the leaks a "national security crisis" that puts the "lives of American servicemen and women at stake."
"Exactly who in the White House betrayed these secrets? Did a superior authorize it? These are things that Americans are entitled to know--and they are entitled to know right now," Romney said. "If the president believes--as he said last week--that the buck stops with him, then he owes all Americans a full and prompt accounting of the facts."
Romney tells it like it is. The buck stops with the president. We need to know. And now!
