Quote of the Day: Mitt Romney’s Nonexistent Foreign Policy

Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily.


From an anonymous Romney advisor talking about his candidate’s approach to international affairs:

The Bush foreign policy is a terrible brand 

Roger that. The whole piece is worth a read. Romney has been pretty cagey about domestic policy, declining to take firm stands on healthcare, taxes, financial regulation, or, really, much of anything. But that’s nothing compared to his slipperiness on foreign policy, which sounds increasingly like something out of an HBO sitcom. Romney wants to sound more like Reagan — but with a “more cautious view of where and when we use force.” He wants to sound more forceful than Obama — but without actually suggesting he’d use force anywhere. He’ll provide arms to the Syrians — but no, it turns out he won’t. He has a different red line on Iran — but not really, it turns out. He’d handle the Arab Spring differently from Obama — except that he’d pretty much do exactly the same thing as Obama.

“The idea that Romney is following the George W. Bush approach is a caricature the Democrats want to draw,” the anonymous advisor said. “We’re not going to help them with that.” Apparently not. Instead, they’re just going to take so many different positions that nobody has any idea what approach they’d take.

DECEMBER IS MAKE OR BREAK

A full one-third of our annual fundraising comes in this month alone. That’s risky, because a strong December means our newsroom is on the beat and reporting at full strength—but a weak one means budget cuts and hard choices ahead.

With only days left until December 31, we've raised about half of our $400,000 goal—but we need a huge surge in reader support to close the remaining gap. Whether you've given before or this is your first time, your contribution right now matters.

Managing an independent, nonprofit newsroom is staggeringly hard. There’s no cushion in our budget—no backup revenue, no corporate safety net. We can’t afford to fall short, and we can’t rely on corporations or deep-pocketed interests to fund the fierce, investigative journalism Mother Jones exists to do. That’s why we need you right now. Please chip in to help close the gap.

DECEMBER IS MAKE OR BREAK

A full one-third of our annual fundraising comes in this month alone. That’s risky, because a strong December means our newsroom is on the beat and reporting at full strength—but a weak one means budget cuts and hard choices ahead.

With only days left until December 31, we've raised about half of our $400,000 goal—but we need a huge surge in reader support to close the remaining gap. Whether you've given before or this is your first time, your contribution right now matters.

Managing an independent, nonprofit newsroom is staggeringly hard. There’s no cushion in our budget—no backup revenue, no corporate safety net. We can’t afford to fall short, and we can’t rely on corporations or deep-pocketed interests to fund the fierce, investigative journalism Mother Jones exists to do. That’s why we need you right now. Please chip in to help close the gap.

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate