Romney Fails Geography: "It's their route to the sea."

[Procrustes Stretched]

Romney Fails Geography: "It's their route to the sea."

"Syria is Iran's only ally in the Arab world. It's their route to the sea."


Iran has a large southern coastline with access to the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. And it has no land border with Syria.

 

[Political Junky]

Romney Fails Geography: "It's their route to the sea."

"Syria is Iran's only ally in the Arab world. It's their route to the sea."


Iran has a large southern coastline with access to the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. And it has no land border with Syria.

the thing is, Romney has repeated this line often'


It is not a misspeak or slip of the tongue

Good catch, I just heard someone bring it up on MSNBC, but you got it first.

 

[Trajan]

he probably meant route to the Med.

but people in this country would not know the difference...he effed up. He should have explained it or he doesn't know...

 

[Political Junky]

he probably meant route to the Med.

but people in this country would not know the difference...he effed up. He should have explained it or he doesn't know...

Iran would have to go through Iraq or Turkey to get to Syria and the Mediterranean.

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

he probably meant route to the Med.

but people in this country would not know the difference...he effed up. He should have explained it or he doesn't know...

no. he's repeated the line on multiple occasions. it's part of a set of talking points that sounds good to him. it's up there with 'apology tour'

Romney was criticized for this type of crap during the GOP primaries. now ranks get closed, but it can't hide the factual record

 

[Charles_Main]

Romney Fails Geography: "It's their route to the sea."

"Syria is Iran's only ally in the Arab world. It's their route to the sea."


Iran has a large southern coastline with access to the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. And it has no land border with Syria.

I am pretty sure he meant their only Direct route to the Med Sea, but feel free to focus on this issue. It's sure to win Obama the Election.

 

[Charles_Main]

he probably meant route to the Med.

but people in this country would not know the difference...he effed up. He should have explained it or he doesn't know...

Iran would have to go through Iraq or Turkey to get to Syria and the Mediterranean.

You do realize Iran has been flying over Iraq into Syria to help Arm the Government of Syria all along right? Something they would not be able to do, if we had a status of forces agreement like Biden Promised we would.

 

[Dick Tuck]

Iran has about 1,500 miles of coastline along the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, leading to the Arabian Sea.

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

Romney Fails Geography: "It's their route to the sea."

"Syria is Iran's only ally in the Arab world. It's their route to the sea."


Iran has a large southern coastline with access to the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. And it has no land border with Syria.

I am pretty sure he meant their only Direct route to the Med Sea, but feel free to focus on this issue. It's sure to win Obama the Election.

I am sure Mitt Romney is smaht enough to say what he means. HE's not Reagan ya know.

 

[mikegriffith1]

Obviously Romney was referring to the Mediterranean Sea. I'm sure he knows that Iran borders the Persian Gulf.

It is amazing to see people nit-picking over things like this when we're talking about a man who has balanced large budgets, who brought his state's unemployment rate down to below 5%, who increased his state's reserve fund, who cut property taxes for seniors, who balanced his state's budget four years in a row, who rebated over $270 million in taxes back to taxpayers, who increased the number of charter schools, and who proved time and again that he can work in a bipartisan manner--not to mention the fact that he turned around the SLC Olympics.

Why on earth would anyone want 4 more years of the misery we've had when we can elect a man with such a sterling record?

 

[NYcarbineer]

Romney was citing Mormon folklore. The world is a different shape there.

 

[Sallow]

Romney Fails Geography: "It's their route to the sea."

"Syria is Iran's only ally in the Arab world. It's their route to the sea."


Iran has a large southern coastline with access to the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. And it has no land border with Syria.

That's what happens when you use the cliff notes on GeoPolitical policy.

 

[Dick Tuck]

Romney Fails Geography: "It's their route to the sea."

"Syria is Iran's only ally in the Arab world. It's their route to the sea."


Iran has a large southern coastline with access to the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. And it has no land border with Syria.

I am pretty sure he meant their only Direct route to the Med Sea, but feel free to focus on this issue. It's sure to win Obama the Election.

So you think Iran will carry its ships across Iraq and Syria?

 

[del]

Obviously Romney was referring to the Mediterranean Sea. I'm sure he knows that Iran borders the Persian Gulf.

It is amazing to see people nit-picking over things like this when we're talking about a man who has balanced large budgets, who brought his state's unemployment rate down to below 5%, who increased his state's reserve fund, who cut property taxes for seniors, who balanced his state's budget four years in a row, who rebated over $270 million in taxes back to taxpayers, who increased the number of charter schools, and who proved time and again that he can work in a bipartisan manner--not to mention the fact that he turned around the SLC Olympics.

Why on earth would anyone want 4 more years of the misery we've had when we can elect a man with such a sterling record?

because that man doesn't exist, would be my guess.

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

Romney Fails Geography: "It's their route to the sea."

"Syria is Iran's only ally in the Arab world. It's their route to the sea."


Iran has a large southern coastline with access to the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. And it has no land border with Syria.

That's what happens when you use the cliff notes on GeoPolitical policy.

 

[mikegriffith1]

Romney Fails Geography: "It's their route to the sea."

"Syria is Iran's only ally in the Arab world. It's their route to the sea."


Iran has a large southern coastline with access to the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. And it has no land border with Syria.

I am pretty sure he meant their only Direct route to the Med Sea, but feel free to focus on this issue. It's sure to win Obama the Election.

So you think Iran will carry its ships across Iraq and Syria?

Really? That's your argument?

So you really don't think Romney knew that Iran borders the Persian Gulf, in spite of all the discussion in the GOP debates about the Strait of Hormuz and what we would do if Iran closed the strait? Really?

This is just silly.

If Iran wanted a naval presence in the Med Sea, they could use a Syrian port once their ships sailed to that sea. They could also access the Med Sea by using Syria as a proxy. I can't believe anyone is suggesting that Romney didn't know that Iran borders two seas.

This is the kind of silliness we get against a man who has balanced every budget he's touched and who has a proven record of being able to get things done while working with Democrats. How could anyone take Obama over a man like that?

Thanks, but I'd rather not have 4 more years of trillion-dollar deficits, historically weak economic growth, higher taxes, etc., etc. Obama has piled up as much debt in 45 months as Bush did in 8 years. It took Bush 8 years to pile up $5 trillion in debt. Obama has done it in just 45 months. And you want to reelect him???

 

[peach174]

Nobody is perfect.
How about Joe Bidden who says really wrong things.
Latest gaff?
How many people do you know who fought in Iran and Iraq.
We know he meant Afghanistan and Iraq.
Just like we know what Romney meant, he is saying that Syria is for Iran's access to the Mediterranean.

 

[peach174]

Romney Fails Geography: "It's their route to the sea."

"Syria is Iran's only ally in the Arab world. It's their route to the sea."


Iran has a large southern coastline with access to the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. And it has no land border with Syria.

I am pretty sure he meant their only Direct route to the Med Sea, but feel free to focus on this issue. It's sure to win Obama the Election.

So you think Iran will carry its ships across Iraq and Syria?

Iran docks it's ships there in Syria's sea ports.

 

[Dick Tuck]

I am pretty sure he meant their only Direct route to the Med Sea, but feel free to focus on this issue. It's sure to win Obama the Election.

So you think Iran will carry its ships across Iraq and Syria?

Really? That's your argument?

So you really don't think Romney knew that Iran borders the Persian Gulf, in spite of all the discussion in the GOP debates about the Strait of Hormuz and what we would do if Iran closed the strait? Really?

This is just silly.

If Iran wanted a naval presence in the Med Sea, they could use a Syrian port once their ships sailed to that sea. They could also access the Med Sea by using Syria as a proxy. I can't believe anyone is suggesting that Romney didn't know that Iran borders two seas.

This is the kind of silliness we get against a man who has balanced every budget he's touched and who has a proven record of being able to get things done while working with Democrats. How could anyone take Obama over a man like that?

Thanks, but I'd rather not have 4 more years of trillion-dollar deficits, historically weak economic growth, higher taxes, etc., etc. Obama has piled up as much debt in 45 months as Bush did in 8 years. It took Bush 8 years to pile up $5 trillion in debt. Obama has done it in just 45 months. And you want to reelect him???

First off, Iran doesn't have a navy of any significance. Second, yes, I think that Romney's knowledge of foreign affairs is non-existent. What kind of idiot would claim that Russia is our greatest geopolitical foe?

And yes, I am going to vote for Obama again. I wish he had a congress that enabled him to do more, but in spite of things, he turned around the greatest recession since the Great Depression. Things are improving. Romney is another supply-side fool, with a plan that doesn't add up. All his foreign policy advisers are Bush neocons. Recall that in 2000, Bush claimed he wasn't going to do nation building either. He proved to be a liar.

 

[American Horse]

I think Rom got a little bit confused in how he stated a complex situation vis-a-vis Syria/Iran, which also includes Russia, which came up in the debate last night when Rom said in response to the president who had said that Rom said that Russia was the greatest geopolitical threat:

GOVERNOR ROMNEY
Excuse me. It’s a geopolitical foe, and I said in the same -- in the same paragraph I said, and Iran is the greatest national security threat we face. Russia does continue to battle us in the U.N. time and time again.

The Russian lease on the Crimean port of Sevastopol runs out in 2017 and can’t be extended without Ukraine’s accord. Sevastopol is Russia’s largest naval base and its lifeline to maintaining a blue-water navy via the Black Sea, the Dardanelles and the Mediterranean. Losing the base would leave Russia a virtually landlocked country. Its enclave of Kaliningrad can never be developed into a major naval asset, while the Siberian coast in the far east is hard to resupply.

By 2017, Ukraine may well be a me

number of both the European Union and NATO -- and it would be odd indeed for a NATO member to host Russia’s biggest military bases.

So Moscow has been seeking an alternative to Sevastapol for the last decade. Russian strategists believe they’ve found it on Syria’s Mediterranean coast.

In 2002, Moscow and Damascus held preliminary talks on the subject. Initially, the idea was to transform the Syrian port of Tartus into an all-purpose aerial/naval base for both nations’ use. But European investment in the years since has turned Tartus into Syria’s major commercial port, ahead of Latakia. Then, too, the area’s population is largely “mainline” Muslims, who might resent the decision by a minority Alawite regime to offer bases to foreign powers.

There is also the Iran factor. As the chief supporter of the Assad regime, the Islamic Republic [of IRAN] demands facilities for its own navy. In February, an Iranian flotilla visited Syria for the first time ever, amid reports that “mooring facilities” would be built to host a permanent presence.

Russia’s Syrian game--Amir Taheri - NYPOST.com

Romney's exact statement was:

"Syria plays an important role in the Middle East, particularly right now; Syria is Iran's only ally in the Arab world. It's their route to the sea."

Instead he should've said something about it being their only mooring facilities in the Mediterranean Sea.


At any rate here's a clip from C-Span in which he made the statement in question --> CLIP in which he doesn't seem to have said quite exactly what he's said to have said.