Do you approve or disapprove of President Obama’s and Governor Romney’s responses to the violence in Egypt and Libya and now in other countries in the middle east?
Official Portrait of President Ronald Reagan. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
First, Romney’s actions were deplorable, and the more so because he refused to apologize for a clearly error-filled, not to mention poor timing, of the statement he issued. Second, Romney’s approach to foreign policy is akin to the parodies of “cowboy diplomacy” of the 1980′s. Unlike President Reagan, Romney’s foreign policy has no real rhyme or reason, save that of hurting the current President.
The President’s was a bit more dignified. I am unsure as to why, if we proclaim our Christianity and our Christian nation (hope/)statue why to seek peace and reconciliation, even to the point of humility, is not the first course? The memo from the embassy in Cairo was an important first step, and I believe, helped to ease some of the tag-along-protesters. His “flub” about Egypt not feeling too comfortable with the title of ally is important. It spurred the Egyptian protest into action, on our side.
But, the issue remains as to what now. The protests are something of a terrorist attack, spreading across the region. But, we must decide to whom are they directing their anger. While it is easy to look at the pictures of the demonstrations and see their anger as directed to the United States, it is simply not that simple. There is a great deal of anti-Western feeling in that part of the world, exasperated by issues long boiling. The President needs to take a … hands off approach … because any perceived involvement by the United States will push the idea of more Western colonialization. I think that is the one thing we haven’t yet talked about publicly. What role does the arbitrary border lines play in this?
And frankly, why are we still expending resources in an area that does not like us?
To sum, briefly, I think Romney’s is just another sign that he is a poor candidate and frankly, I find his character lacking. The President, a pragmatist, carries the duty of the office well when it comes to foreign policy, and at least in regard to initial moves to reconciliation, attempts something of a graceful hand.
Related articles
- Bill Maher: Romney’s Reaction To Violence In Egypt And Libya ‘Lost [Him] The Election’ (mediaite.com)
- Mitt Romney misfires in his attempt to discredit Barack Obama’s ‘weak’ foreign policy (independent.co.uk)
- Romney gets capital of Libya wrong in press conf criticizing Obama on foreign policy (americablog.com)
- Chris Wallace, Gretchen Carlson Spar Over Mitt Romney’s Response To Libya Attack (VIDEO) (huffingtonpost.com)
- After The Libya Attack: Obama Compared To Carter, Romney To Nixon (businessinsider.com)
- Romney’s Libya Barbs Draw Big Backlash (newser.com)
Joel L. Watts holds a Masters of Arts from United Theological Seminary with a focus in literary and rhetorical criticism of the New Testament. His interests include exploring the role of mimesis in human civilization, specifically in the study of religion and media, as well as science fiction and the way in which it has allowed mythology to be explored in light of scientific discoveries of the past century. He is the author of Mimetic Criticism of the Gospel of Mark: Introduction and Commentary (Wipf and Stock, 2013) and a co-editor and contributor to From Fear to Faith: Stories of Hitting Spiritual Walls (Energion, 2013).
Website: → Unsettled Christianity
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