While 'hope may not be a strategy,' neither is hyperbole and empty rhetoric

After a disastrous overseas trip and much-deserved criticism for failing to even mention our military or our troops now fighting in America's longest war in Afghanistan in his nomination acceptance speech, Mitt Romney gave a "major foreign policy speech" in Virgina today, at the VMI military academy; trying to narrow the lead President Obama has enjoyed on foreign policy in recent polls.

Trying to sustain the momentum he gained in last week's presidential debate, Romney's speech was titled: "The Mantle of Leadership" (full transcript), charging that President Obama has failed to lead. Criticizing the president, Romney declared that, "Hope is not a strategy." Neither is empty rhetoric, Mitt.

Listening to the entire speech, I was struck by the total lack of specifics or substance in the speech, as Romney went through a factually challenged litany of Obama failures, from the attack on our consulate in Libya and the murder of Ambassador Stevens, to our lack of commitment to the Syrian rebels, to poorer American relations with Israel under Obama, to lack of resolve over preventing a nuclear Iran.


Romney tried to link the consulate attack and murder of Ambassador Stevens to poor performance—or even neglect—by the Obama Administration relative to security against terrorist attacks, without providing any evidence to back that up. Citing the thousands of deaths in Syria under the Assad regime, Romney criticized our commitment to helping the rebels but offered no real rationale for further arming unknown—and possibly radical extremists—involved in the struggle. Didn't we hear the same concern coming from the right over getting involved in Libya and, thereby, arming Al Qaeda operatives there? Now proclaiming his commitment to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and a two-state solution; wasn't that the same Mitt Romney heard on that now infamous 'secret video' (where he dissed 47% of America) dismissing the chance of any lasting peace in the Middle East (VIDEO)? On Iran, Romney promised new, stronger sanctions, yet offered absolutely no details on what those would be, or how they would differ with those already imposed by the Obama Administration, which have virtually crippled Iran's economy and ravished the value of their currency. This is the same Mitt Romney who recently met with Israel's ultra-conservative Prime Minister, Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu, giving Israel tacit approval for an Israeli pre-emptive strike on Iran—now claiming that Obama's policies have, "set back the hope of peace in the Middle East and emboldened Iran."

Just as Romney 'jumped the gun' and—without any concern for the facts—criticized the Adminstration's response to the recent violent demonstrations in the Muslim World, arising from the provocative anti-Muslim video trailer released on the Internet, Romney charged, "Unfortunately, this president's policies have not been equal to our best examples of world leadership."

Interestingly, after previously citing Russia as our most dangerous 'geopolitical foe' and citing the trade challenges with China and weakness of Obama on their trade and currency practices in his campaign ads…Romney gave only passing mention to either nation in his speech!

The speech will continue to be analyzed throughout the coming days, but most military and political analysts have already cited it as misleading, lacking substance and unlikely to do much to either bring down Obama's strong poll position on foreign policy or boost Romney's. Especially considering some glaring factual errors. Namely that Obama has made "deep and arbitrary cuts" to the defense budget (despite defense spending increases), or that Obama "hasn't signed a single free trade agreement in four years" (despite the many refinements to the South Korea F.T.A. under Obama, finally bringing it into force this year).

incredulously, implying American military weakness (despite the largest military budget in the world), Romney claimed that, "The size of our Navy is at levels not seen since 1916," promising more naval ship building and carrier task forces in the Persian Gulf. I'm sure Romney's Neo-conservative advisors and the military-industrial complex were very, very pleased with his speech. I'm not so sure a war-weary America will be.

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