Mitt Romney's Foreign Policy: George W. Bush Redux?

Mitt Romney is due to deliver his first major speech of the GOP primary on foreign policy on Friday morning, from the Citadel military academy in Charleston, S.C. The address has been billed as a major opportunity for the GOP presidential frontrunner to put further distance -- in terms of seriousness and vision -- between himself and the rest of the primary field, but already a fair amount is known about his foreign policy outlook.

In a snippet of the speech released by the campaign in advance Thursday night, Romney calls for a strong and proactive military, and the return of America to a role of world supremacy and guardianship:

This century must be an American Century. In an American Century, America has the strongest economy and the strongest military in the world. In an American Century, America leads the free world and the free world leads the entire world. God did not create this country to be a nation of followers. America is not destined to be one of several equally balanced global powers. America must lead the world, or someone else will. Without American leadership, without clarity of American purpose and resolve, the world becomes a far more dangerous place, and liberty and prosperity would surely be among the first casualties.

If that sounds a bit like the perspective of the George W. Bush administration, there's also this: Romney's team of national security advisers, also announced on Thursday, includes many of the very Bush administration officials and aides who were most responsible for pushing that era's controversial policies, from torture and warrantless wiretapping to the war in Iraq.

Take a look at a slideshow of a few of the key figures in Romney's team of foreign policy advisers, and their roles and legacies from the Bush era:

 

 

Comments

[Dennis7450]

06:33 AM on 10/16/2011

"In an American Century, America has the strongest economy and the strongest military in the world."

And where will your 5 sons be, Romney? Not in the military,that's for sure. Isn't it great that you want everybody else's children to die for your beliefs, but you won't put an ounce of skin in the game. You and George Bush and Dick Cheney, so brave with everybody elses' blood and money. Shame on you and your cowardly ilk.

[starrtime9]

11:54 PM on 10/15/2011

wowowow this sure dont sound like sound christian talk to me....

[robinhood1]

04:08 PM on 10/15/2011

We'll be lucky if we can pay our bills in the 21st century. Forget about dominating any one.

[acatl07]

02:46 AM on 10/15/2011

Mitt Romney talks like a quaker preacher.

[island101]

04:08 PM on 10/14/2011

Poppycock!

[Sharon Lujan]

12:54 PM on 10/13/2011

well, "there you go again"..

[John Prewett]

06:32 PM on 10/10/2011

"This century must be an American Century......." .......... sheesh, and they call me nuts

[Blodo]

04:10 PM on 10/10/2011

O.K. now Mitt, I'm going to say this really, really slowly so that even you can understand it....
T H E US H A S N O M O N E Y. That means, you can't be the only big kid in the sandbox anymore. You have to learn to share and to get along with others. Don't cry now. We couldn't take you and Boehner both bawling your eyes out.

[Sandra Stevens-miller]

01:39 PM on 10/10/2011

We as a nation, and as a people, must inspire our citizens and those defending our freedom in the military, to spread hope throughout the world, letting others know we will not be dominated by their evil and hatred towards us. We will defend ourselves and never surrender to those who would put asunder nor accept us, due to fear and ignorance, for we may appear different to them or that our religious and spiritual beliefs may be expressed through a different mediator which leads us all to God. We need leadership in the US who will take us, once again, to this mountaintop of hope and give us the fighting spirit to win.

[SPQR1775]

05:54 PM on 10/12/2011

Sandra, I am in the military and you are on point for the nation. Romney will NEVER be Commander in Chief, many of us know fully well what he said in 2008 about his sons never serving in the military and now he pretends to care about us...That BUSH bravado is so 2008, we have EVOLVED, OBAMA 2012, THE JOINT US MILITARY FOR OBAMA! YES HE CAN AND WE WILL TOO!

[rennycat]

05:52 PM on 10/15/2011

What a bunch of gobbly-gook you're regurgitating. We haven't spread any hope throughout the world. You don't "spread hope" when you destroy a way of life, destroy peoples' homes and their infrastructure, invade their country for no reason except profit for the very wealthy. Didn't the Vietbnam era have any meaning to you? It was all about the vast military-industrial complex -- in other words -- economics. I'm sure everyone in this world knows that "we will not be dominated." And that alone is a stupid statement because there is no one in the world who wants to dominate us...not even China and they could with their economic power that we gave them. The "fear and ignorance" are people like you, and Mitt Romney who produced 5 sons through his magical underwear and not one of those five (5) sons went to war. What does that say to you about him? Oh yes, it says a lot....the rich make wars for the poor people's children to fight in...to keep the rich, rich; and the poor in misery especially when they lose a love one for NOTHING. That's it...that's your "mountaintop."

[Parkite]

07:58 AM on 10/09/2011

I don't know who scares me more Mittens or Gov. Good Hair!. One is from Texas and now Mittens wants to be W.

[Gayle Boesky]

04:16 PM on 10/08/2011

Somebody ought to tell Mitt that just wishing doesn't make it so. His speech would have been inspiring if it had been made at the close of World War II. In the world today, as then, countries lead not by speeches, but by putting their money where their mouths are. America is not in the same position today. We don't have the finances or the political will to assume the role of the "leader of the free world" as we did after WWII. Romney and his advisors are still wedded to the old ways and refuse to see the world as it actually is.

[Chris Berman]

07:41 AM on 10/11/2011

That is incorrect. Obama and his democrat ilk have placed us in the position we are in currently. It will take hard work and real leadership to undo the damage.

[Richard Caughlan]

01:26 AM on 10/13/2011

Unless you were asleep for the last 10 years, you must be blind and deaf.

[tnash26170]

04:00 PM on 10/14/2011

This thread is about Romney and his foreign policy. He already stated that he would add 100,000 more soldiers. Each costs $1 million to train. He will take us into another war, the GOP will start losing its way like it did in 2006 and 2008, then a Democrat will take over and again be blamed by the Right for spending so much money. This is getting really old. Your handlers on the Right are definitely trying to turn this nation into a fascist state. Look up that term if you want an explanation.

[RLaitres]

09:07 PM on 10/15/2011

"Romney and his advisors are still wedded to the old ways and refuse to see the world as it actually is."

And that is exactly why some of us what they really are "regressive", that is as opposed to what they like to be called "conservative".

[Burkelbile]

02:56 PM on 10/08/2011

That is one scary lineup - we can't go back to the bad old days when clowns like Chertoff were screwing things up.

[chal0326]

01:05 PM on 10/08/2011

"God did not create this country to be a nation of followers." You're right Mitt. God did not create this country. Man did it in one of the most progressive political revolutions since Greece using technology once deemed blasphemous by the church. *gasp* The earth is round! Not according to the church!

[RACVC]

05:25 PM on 10/14/2011

#2.

[LeftLeanWing]

01:04 PM on 10/08/2011

This century must be an RomanAmerican Century. In an RomanAmerican Century, RomeAmerica  has the strongest economy and the strongest military in the world. In an RomanAmerican Century, RomeAmerica leads the free world and the free world leads the entire world.  Jupiter's DaddyGod did not create Rome to be a nation of followers. RomeAmerica is not destined to be one of several equally balanced global powers. RomeAmerica must lead the world, or someone else will. Without RomanAmerican leadership, without clarity of RomanAmerican purpose and resolve, the world becomes a far more dangerous place, and liberty and prosperity would surely be among the first casualties.

Mittens

[tnash26170]

04:03 PM on 10/14/2011

Insert Fascist for Roman. The steps being taken now to empower particular leaders at the behest of the wealthy, all the while dumbing down the populace, and blaming unions and "socialists" for all our ills was the Italian response to the Depression prior to WW2. Most Italians accepted it . The conservatives do not realize they are taking this path. But they are.

[starrtime9]

11:48 PM on 10/15/2011

oh my god help us!!! we need to really pray those who can.,.,this is soooooo darn scary...i got shivers reading it.....OBAMA MUST WIN

[munga]

11:10 AM on 10/08/2011

Romney didn't pck these guys, they picked him.

[Vlady]

10:35 PM on 10/09/2011

and you picked your nose

[SPQR1775]

05:56 PM on 10/12/2011

And he will crumble just like all the others, AMERICANS might be pissed off but they will VOTE OBAMA ALL DAY NOVEMEBR 2012!