Romney’s foreign policy merits tough questions (Kerry's column in the Union Leader)

[Mass]

As per rules, 4 paragraphs, but click on the link for the whole editorial.

http://thepage.time.com/2012/01/08/kerry-reporting-for-duty/
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The real question is: Would Mitt Romney have done differently? Did he want tens of thousands of troops to remain in Iraq at a cost to taxpayers of billions of dollars? More importantly, would he have left U.S. troops in Iraq without legal protection? Would a candidate who prides himself on running such a disciplined and methodical campaign really have set the stage to be the first President in history to recklessly station tens of thousands of American troops for the long haul in a country that would deny them the legal protections any previous American President would’ve insisted upon?
This seems to be a test for the coming vote ahead in just days: to force a wouldbe commander in chief to explain what his policies would look like in reality. I suspect that Romney in his heart of hearts knows that he would never actually undertake such irresponsible moves as commander in chief, but he’s doing what he believes it takes to win over Republican primary voters in a year the candidates are battling to see who can be the furthest to the right, and where his conservative credentials are so suspect.
Tough talk is no substitute for tough decisions. Americans deserve a President who is comfortable using American power to promote our interests and who stands up for our troops, our nation, and our allies on the international stage. I believe they have that President now — a commander in chief who looks a little further down the road.
We don’t know what kind of commander in chief Mitt Romney would be. But judging from rhetoric that can be at once reckless, extreme and naïve, New Hampshire voters would be well-advised to ask the tough questions now in order to test that proposition.


Read more: http://thepage.time.com/2012/01/08/kerry-reporting-for-duty/#ixzz1itUaCVhz


(This was written before Mitt declared that only rich people should run for office, or he could have added this to this column...)