LEXINGTON, Va. — In what was billed as a major foreign policy address, Mitt Romney attacked President Obama for a lack of forceful leadership in the Mideast on Monday, saying that a waning of American resolve in the region has made it a more dangerous place.
In excerpts of his speech released as he began speaking, Romney said, “It is time to change course in the Middle East.” He said he knows “the president hopes for a safer, freer, and a more prosperous Middle East allied with the United States. I share this hope. But hope is not a strategy. We cannot support our friends and defeat our enemies in the Middle East when our words are not backed up by deeds.”
Referring to recent attacks on America’s embassies and consulates in the Mideast, Romney said it is Obama’s “responsibility to use America’s great power to shape history—not to lead from behind, leaving our destiny at the mercy of events. Unfortunately, that is exactly where we find ourselves in the Middle East under President Obama.”
Romney spoke in a small auditorium at Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, from a slightly upraised brown lecturn behind a U.S. flag and several military flags. A group of several hundred cadets, decked out in white uniforms, marched in at 11:07 a.m. and filled the seats, mixing with a few dozen invited guests. Patriotic and military music played in the background. After his address, Romney was planning to participate in a roundtable with retired generals, but that event will be closed to the press and public.
Romney, in his comfort zone when focused on the economy, has stumbled during his occasional forays into foreign policy. He offended his British hosts and Palestinian leaders during an overseas trip in July, failed to mention Afghanistan in his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention, and was roundly criticized for the timing of his assault on President Obama’s handling of violence in Libya.
But with the president now potentially vulnerable on issues such as Libya and U.S.-Israeli relations, the Romney campaign senses an opportunity to reshape an issue long seen as an Obama strength.
The speech at Virginia Military Institute in Lexington thrust foreign policy even more into the center of a campaign that until recently had been almost entirely about the economy. And that focus is expected to intensify as the two candidates debate foreign policy during their last one-on-one encounter, on Oct. 22.
Amid increasing questions about the Obama administration’s handling of the violence in Libya that killed four Americans — and with Romney gaining momentum from his widely praised performance in last week’s first debate — some experts think the speech is well-timed. Though Obama has consistently outpolled Romney on foreign affairs, that advantage has diminished. A Washington Post-ABC News poll conducted just before the first debate showed Obama with a five-point edge in who is more trusted to handle international concerns, down from the president’s double-digit advantage earlier in the year.
In excerpts of his speech released as he began speaking, Romney said, “It is time to change course in the Middle East.” He said he knows “the president hopes for a safer, freer, and a more prosperous Middle East allied with the United States. I share this hope. But hope is not a strategy. We cannot support our friends and defeat our enemies in the Middle East when our words are not backed up by deeds.”
Referring to recent attacks on America’s embassies and consulates in the Mideast, Romney said it is Obama’s “responsibility to use America’s great power to shape history—not to lead from behind, leaving our destiny at the mercy of events. Unfortunately, that is exactly where we find ourselves in the Middle East under President Obama.”
Romney spoke in a small auditorium at Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, from a slightly upraised brown lecturn behind a U.S. flag and several military flags. A group of several hundred cadets, decked out in white uniforms, marched in at 11:07 a.m. and filled the seats, mixing with a few dozen invited guests. Patriotic and military music played in the background. After his address, Romney was planning to participate in a roundtable with retired generals, but that event will be closed to the press and public.
Romney, in his comfort zone when focused on the economy, has stumbled during his occasional forays into foreign policy. He offended his British hosts and Palestinian leaders during an overseas trip in July, failed to mention Afghanistan in his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention, and was roundly criticized for the timing of his assault on President Obama’s handling of violence in Libya.
But with the president now potentially vulnerable on issues such as Libya and U.S.-Israeli relations, the Romney campaign senses an opportunity to reshape an issue long seen as an Obama strength.
The speech at Virginia Military Institute in Lexington thrust foreign policy even more into the center of a campaign that until recently had been almost entirely about the economy. And that focus is expected to intensify as the two candidates debate foreign policy during their last one-on-one encounter, on Oct. 22.
Amid increasing questions about the Obama administration’s handling of the violence in Libya that killed four Americans — and with Romney gaining momentum from his widely praised performance in last week’s first debate — some experts think the speech is well-timed. Though Obama has consistently outpolled Romney on foreign affairs, that advantage has diminished. A Washington Post-ABC News poll conducted just before the first debate showed Obama with a five-point edge in who is more trusted to handle international concerns, down from the president’s double-digit advantage earlier in the year.