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Romney Campaign Press Release - We Can't Afford Four More Years Of Obama's Foreign Policy

October 21, 2012

"At the 2008 presidential debates, Candidate Obama promised to implement a foreign policy that would protect our interests and allies abroad. But four years later, America stands weakened around the world, with our safety threatened, our allies increasingly isolated, and hostile nations emboldened. Americans simply can't afford another four years like the last four years. As president, Mitt Romney will deliver where President Obama has failed by crafting a foreign policy that restores America's strength and increases our nation's security abroad." — Andrea Saul, Romney Campaign Spokesperson

Candidate Obama Promised He Wouldn't Tolerate A Nuclear Iran — But President Obama's Policies Have Left Iran Closer To Nuclear Weapon Capability:

Candidate Obama, In A 2008 Presidential Debate: "We Cannot Tolerate A Nuclear Iran. It Would Be A Game Changer." OBAMA: "So obviously, our policy over the last eight years has not worked. Senator McCain is absolutely right, we cannot tolerate a nuclear Iran. It would be a game changer. Not only would it threaten Israel, a country that is our stalwart ally, but it would also create an environment in which you could set off an arms race in this Middle East." (Sen. Barack Obama, First Presidential Debate, Oxford, MS, 9/26/08)

President Obama's "Early Overtures To Iran Were Rejected" And Iran's Nuclear Program Has Expanded. "Obama's early overtures to Iran were rejected, and the expansion of Tehran's nuclear program, which it says is purely peaceful, has created tension between Washington and Israel, which sees a nuclear-armed Iran as a threat to its existence." (Matt Spetalnick and Mark Felsenthal, "Obama Warns Iran On Nuclear Bid, Containment 'No Option'," Reuters, 9/25/12)

Iran Has Succeeded In "Adding Thousands Of Centrifuge Machines To Its Underground Facility" And Has Grown Its Uranium Stockpile. "No firm dates for new negotiations have been set, and Middle East analysts say no breakthrough is likely until after the November election. Meanwhile, Iran's success in adding thousands of centrifuge machines to its underground facility — and the inexorable growth of its uranium stockpile — continues to stoke fears of an Israeli airstrike. It has also left the White House vulnerable to Republican charges that administration policies, while well-intentioned, have ultimately been fruitless." (Joby Warrick, "Obama's Policy On Iran Bears Some Fruit, But Nuclear Program Still Advances," The Washington Post, 9/24/12)

Candidate Obama Promised To Stand Up To Russia — But President Obama's "Reset" Policy Has Been An Abject Failure:

In A 2008 Presidential Debate, Candidate Obama Promised To Stand Up To Russia On Protecting America's Interests Abroad. OBAMA: "But we have to have a president who is clear that you don't deal with Russia based on staring into his eyes and seeing his soul. You deal with Russia based on, what are your -- what are the national security interests of the United States of America? And we have to recognize that the way they've been behaving lately demands a sharp response from the international community and our allies." (Sen. Barack Obama, First Presidential Debate, Oxford, MS, 9/26/08)

  • Candidate Obama Also Pledged To Work With Russia On Nuclear Nonproliferation. OBAMA: "It's important that we recognize there are going to be some areas of common interest. One is nuclear proliferation. ... This is an area where I've led on in the Senate, working with a Republican ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Dick Lugar, to deal with the proliferation of loose nuclear weapons. That's an area where we're going to have to work with Russia." (Sen. Barack Obama, First Presidential Debate, Oxford, MS, 9/26/08)

President Obama "Decided To Bet On Deal-Making With Mr. Putin Rather Than On Democratic Change In Russia." "Remarkably, however, President Obama has responded to Mr. Putin's return to the presidency by strongly affirming his commitment to partnering with the strongman. His meant-to-be-confidential assurance to outgoing President Dmitry Medvedev on Monday, that 'after my election I have more flexibility' to solve 'all these issues, but particularly missile defense,' was only the latest sign that Mr. Obama has decided to bet on deal-making with Mr. Putin rather than on democratic change in Russia." (Editorial, "President Obama's Bad Bet On Vladimir Putin," The Washington Post, 3/28/12)

  • President Vladimir Putin Returned To Power On A Platform Of "Anti-Americanism," Including Support For Policies Contrary To U.S. Interests And Military Support For President Al-Assad In Syria. "The return of Vladimir Putin to the Russian presidency ought to have caused the Obama administration to reshape its policy toward the Kremlin. Putin based his election campaign in large part on anti-Americanism; he has increasingly pursued policies contrary to vital U.S. interests, such as his military support for the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad and his threats against NATO's European missile-defense system. Most important, Mr. Putin's decade-old autocratic regime is looking shaky." (Editorial, "President Obama's Bad Bet On Vladimir Putin," The Washington Post, 3/28/12

Russia Recently Announced It "Will Not Renew A Decades-Old Agreement With Washington On Dismantling Nuclear And Chemical Weapons When It Expires Next Year." "Russia will not renew a decades-old agreement with Washington on dismantling nuclear and chemical weapons when it expires next year, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was quoted as saying on Wednesday. The death of the 1991 agreement, which had been renewed twice, is the latest in a series of hitches in relations between the United States and Russia and casts doubt on the future of the much-vaunted 'reset' in relations between the Cold War-era foes." ("Russia Says It Will Not Renew Arms Agreement With U.S.," Reuters, 10/10/12)

Candidate Obama Promised To "Enforce Rules Against" China's Currency Manipulation — But President Obama Has Failed To Stop China's Cheating:

Candidate Obama, In A 2008 Presidential Debate: "We Should Enforce Rules Against China Manipulating Its Currency..." OBAMA: "And what I said was we should include those and make them enforceable. In the same way that we should enforce rules against China manipulating its currency to make our exports more expensive and their exports to us cheaper." (Sen. Barack Obama, Third Presidential Debate, Hempstead, NY, 10/15/08)

Under President Obama, The United States Treasury Department Has Refused To Label China As A Currency Manipulator Seven Times. (Don Lee, "U.S. Declines To Label China A Currency Manipulator," Los Angeles Times, 5/25/12; Pedro Nicolaci da Costa, "U.S. Again Says China Not Currency Manipulator," Reuters, 12/28/11; Gregg Robb, "Treasury Says China Isn't A Currency Manipulator," Market Watch, 5/27/11; Sewell Chan, "China's Currency Avoids "Manipulated" Ruling Again," NYT, 2/04/11; Gregg Robb, "Treasury Does Not Cite China As Currency Manipulator," Market Watch, 7/8/10; Martin Crutsinger, "Administration Declines To Cite China On Currency Manipulation," USA Today, 10/15/09; Glenn Somerville and Doug Palmer, "U.S. Again Declines To Brand China Currency Manipulator," Reuters, 4/15/09)

  • The Obama Administration Recently Announced It Would Delay Yet Another Opportunity To Label China As A Currency Manipulator. "The Obama administration is delaying a decision that had been due Monday on whether China is manipulating its currency to gain trade advantages. The Treasury Department says the decision will now come after global finance officials meet in early November." ("Administration Delays China Currency Report," The Associated Press, 10/12/12)

Asked About China's Currency Manipulation And Unfair Trade Practices, President Obama Said That He Did Not Want To "Embarrass" China. "President Barack Obama, addressing questions Wednesday about China's alleged trade abuses and currency manipulation, said the United States must push back against unfair practices but not 'go out of our way to embarrass' the country. Doing so would risk 'an all-out trade war,' Obama told The Plain Dealer in an exclusive interview." (Henry Gomez, "President Barack Obama Warns Against Embarrassing China On Trade Complaints: Plain Dealer Interview," Cleveland Plain Dealer, 9/27/12)

The Washington Post: "China's Policy Has Probably Cost Americans Hundreds Of Thousands Of Jobs And Contributed To China's Destabilizing Pile Of Trillions Of Dollars In Reserves." "China's undervalued renminbi is a long-standing, bipartisan concern, and it is not a phony one: In pursuit of growth led by exports, China has held the renminbi down in relation to the dollar, rendering its goods artificially cheap in the U.S. market. The renminbi would gain about 20 percent against the dollar if it were allowed to float freely like other currencies, according to the Peterson Institute for International Economics. China's policy has probably cost Americans hundreds of thousands of jobs and contributed to China's destabilizing pile of trillions of dollars in reserves." (Editorial, "Breaking China?," The Washington Post, 8/31/11)

Candidate Obama Promised To Fully Fund Veterans' Care — But President Obama's Budget Included Sharp Cuts To Military Health Care Funding:

Candidate Obama, In A 2008 Presidential Debate: "We Haven't Adequately Funded Veterans' Care." OBAMA: "We haven't adequately funded veterans' care. I sit on the Veterans Affairs Committee, and we've got -- I meet veterans all across the country who are trying to figure out, 'How can I get disability payments? I've got post-traumatic stress disorder, and yet I can't get treatment.'" (Sen. Barack Obama, First Presidential Debate, Oxford, MS, 9/26/08)

President Obama's FY2013 Budget Cuts Military Health Care Funding By $12.9 Billion Over The Next Five Years. "In the next fiscal year, the military has outlined a $1.8 billion cut as part of a projected $48.7 billion health care budget covering 9.6 million people. The cuts would total $12.9 billion over five years. To offset the loss, retirees would pay higher enrollment fees based on how much they earn through their military pensions. Retirees and active-duty family members would pay more for pharmacy copayments, too." (Barrie Barber, "Military Retirees Could See Increase In Health Insurance Costs," Dayton Daily News, 3/30/12)

"The Pentagon Is Proposing Substantial Increases In Health Care Premiums For Working-Age Military Retirees." "Benefits for military retirees are also targeted. The Pentagon is proposing substantial increases in health care premiums for working-age military retirees. For some retirees, the premiums for TRICARE, the military health-care program, would nearly quadruple from $520 per year to $2,480 in 2017." (Tom Vanden Brook, "Pentagon Budget Calls For Cuts To Jets, Benefits," USA Today, 2/13/12)

  • Some Retirees "Will See Their Health Care Costs Nearly Quadruple." "Military-age retirees who make more than $45,179 annually — a pension usually reserved for officers — will see their health care costs nearly quadruple, from $600 annually in fiscal year 2013 to $2,048 in 2017." (Nancy Youssef, "Heaviest 2013 Defense Budget Cuts Would Fall On Troops," McClatchy, 2/13/12)

Veterans' Benefit Claims Are Stuck In A "Crushing" Backlog At The Veterans Administration. "These are the faces of what has become known as 'the backlog': the crushing inventory of claims for disability, pension and educational benefits that has overwhelmed the Department of Veterans Affairs. For hundreds of thousands of veterans, the result has been long waits for decisions, mishandled documents, confusing communications and infuriating mistakes in their claims." (James Dao, "Veterans Wait For Benefits As Claims Pile Up," The New York Times, 9/27/12)

Mitt Romney, Romney Campaign Press Release - We Can't Afford Four More Years Of Obama's Foreign Policy Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/303625

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