FACT CHECK – MITT ROMNEY’S FOREIGN POLICY SPEECH AT THE CITADE

Please see below a fact check of Mitt Romney’s foreign policy speech today at The Citadel.



Romney Claim: President Obama has weakened America.



FACT: PRESIDENT OBAMA HAS KEPT AMERICA SAFE AND DECIMATED AL QAEDA



Upon Taking Office, President Obama Announced A Strategy To Refocus U.S. Efforts In Afghanistan And Pakistan And “Disrupt, Dismantle And Defeat Al Qaeda.” “As President, my greatest responsibility is to protect the American people…So I want the American people to understand that we have a clear and focused goal: to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and to prevent their return to either country in the future…And to the terrorists who oppose us, my message is the same: We will defeat you.” [President Obama, 03/27/09]



More Key Al Qaeda Leaders Have Been Eliminated In The Past Two And A Half Years Than At Any Time Since September 11, 2001, Including Osama Bin Laden. [President Obama, 06/28/11]



President Obama Declared An End To Combat Operations In Iraq. [BBC News, 09/01/10]



President Obama Has Withdrawn More Than 100,000 Troops From Iraq Since Taking Office, [Brookings Institute, 09/30/11]



Secretary Gates Said The US Military Cannot Afford To “Perpetuate The Status Quo” And Has To Adapt To Face New Challenges. “Our Navy has to be designed for new challenges, new technologies, and new missions – because another one of history’s hard lessons is that, when it comes to military capabilities, those who fail to adapt often fail to survive.” [Secretary Gates, 05/03/10]



FACT: PRESIDENT OBAMA HAS STOOD UP FOR AMERICA AND IMPROVED AMERICA’S STANDING IN THE WORLD



America’s Image Abroad Has Improved Significantly Since President Obama Came Into Office. [Pew Global Attitudes Poll, 06/17/10]



USW International President Leo Gerard Said, “Today, President Obama Made Clear That He Will Enforce America’s Trade Laws And Stand With American Workers.” “For far too long, workers across this country have been victimized by bad trade policies and government inaction. Today, President Obama made clear that he will enforce America’s trade laws and stand with American workers,” USW International President Leo W. Gerard said.” [USW International Press Release, 9/11/09]



When Asked About the Obama Administration, Defense Minister Barak Said He “Can Hardly Remember A Period Of Better Support.” “Our countries are good friends. And I'm the minister of defense, I can tell you that I can hardly remember ... a better period of support, American support and cooperation and similar strategic understanding of events around us than what we have right now.” [Fox News, 08/03/11]



The Washington Post Refuted Mitt Romney’s False Claims That President Obama Went On An Apology Tour. “Republicans may certainly disagree with Obama's handling of foreign policy or particular policies he has pursued, but they should not invent a storyline that does not appear to exist. Note to GOP speechwriters and campaign ad makers: The apology tour never happened.” [Washington Post, 02/22/11]



Romney Claim: “The force level necessary to secure our gains and complete our mission successfully is a decision I will make free from politics.”



FACT: ROMNEY HAS TAKEN MULTIPLE POSITIONS ON AFGHANISTAN



FLIP: Romney: “It Is My Desire And My Political Party’s Desire To Support The People Of Afghanistan And Not To Leave.” “Although the media have not been invited to his events, a glimpse into Romney’s thinking was provided by an individual who attended the meeting between Romney and the young Afghans and who allowed a reporter to view a video of the event. At one point, Romney said he supports a longer-term US presence in Afghanistan and asked Afghans for their own suggestions about how the United States can help overcome the raging insurgency and endemic corruption here. President Obama’s administration has said it plans to begin reducing the number of US troops in July with the goal of handing over security to the Afghans by the end of 2014. ‘It is my desire and my political party’s desire to support the people of Afghanistan and not to leave,’ Romney said in response to a question about whether the United States was going to pull out of the country soon. ‘So we look to you to tell us the best ways that we can support you.’” [Boston Globe, 1/14/11]



· FLOP: Romney’s Went Middle Of The Road On President Obama’s Announcement Of Troop Reductions In Afghanistan Saying “We All Want Out Troops To Come Home As Soon As Possible.” “Some of the leading Republican presidential candidates offered dramatically different reactions to President Obama’s announcement of troop reductions in Afghanistan, a reflection of the schism in the Republican Party over the future of the war… Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, is somewhere in the middle. In a statement, Mr. Romney said that ‘we all want our troops to come home as soon as possible,’ but he stopped short of praising Mr. Obama’s speech.” [New York Times, 6/23/11]



FLIP: Romney Criticized President Obama’s Announcement Of A Troop Withdrawal Timeline In Afghanistan Saying “The Taliban May Not Have Watches, But They Do Have Calendars.” “Romney praised the decision to send additional troops to Afghanistan, but criticized President Obama’s announcement of when troops will withdraw. ‘The Taliban may not have watches, but they do have calendars,’ Romney said.” [Boston Globe, 6/3/11]



· FLOP: Romney: “The Generals Actually Concur With The Idea That We Should Bring Down The Surge Troops And Ultimately By 2014, Take Our Footprint - Our Large Combat Footprint Out Of Afghanistan, That’s Something With Which I Concur.” On Moring Joe, Mitt Romney said: “The generals actually concur with the idea that we should bring down the surge troops, and ultimately by 2014, take our footprint -- our large combat footprint out of Afghanistan, that's something with which I concur.” [Morning Joe, MSNBC, 9/28/11]



Romney Said Of Afghanistan: “I Also Think We’ve Learned That Our Troops Shouldn’t Go Off And Try To Fight A War Of Independence For Another Nation.” At the New Hampshire Republican primary debate Romney said of Afghanistan: “I also think we've learned that our troops shouldn't go off and try and fight a war of independence for another nation. Only the Afghanis can win Afghanistan's independence from the Taliban.” [New Hampshire Debate, 6/13/11]



Byron York: Romney Seemed “Off Balance” When Asked What Strategy He Would Employ In Afghanistan Saying “I’m Not In That Position.” “Then there’s Afghanistan. ‘I’m a little surprised that, having made Afghanistan the center of his anti-terrorist strategy, he says he doesn’t have a strategy at this stage for what to do in Afghanistan,’ Romney says of the president. ‘I would have expected him to have accomplished that by this point.’ As Romney sees it, Obama has a choice. He can go along with Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s expected request for more troops, or he can betray his own campaign promise of a firm U.S. stand in Afghanistan. ‘I think his only choice, and the correct choice, is the former,’ Romney says. But it might not be that simple. When I ask Romney, ‘What would you have done?’ he seems slightly off-balance. ‘I’m not in that position,’ Romney says. He pauses a moment. ‘When you say, what would I have done, I, I – ‘ ‘Do you think we needed a new strategy in Afghanistan?’ I ask. ‘I’m going to Afghanistan and Iraq in a couple of months,’ Romney says. ‘I’ll get an assessment of what’s happening there and what the prospects are. But I certainly would support our troops with the additional troops which are being called for by General McChrystal, and provide the equipment and the manpower and the budgetary support which our troops deserve.’” [Byron York, Washington Examiner, 9/27/09]



· HEADLINE: Romney critical of Obama’s Afghan policy—but hesitant himself [Byron York, Washington Examiner, 9/27/09]



Romney Claim: “I will order the formulation of a national cybersecurity strategy, to deter and defend against the growing threats of militarized cyber-attacks, cyber-terrorism, and cyber-espionage.”



FACT: PRESIDENT OBAMA CREATED THE FIRST MILITARY COMMAND DEDICATED TO CYBER SECURITY



In 2009, The Obama Administration Created The First Military Command Dedicated To Cyber Security, Reflecting President Obama’s Commitment To Elevating Computer Security As A National Security Issue. “Defense Secretary Robert Gates created a new military command dedicated to cyber security on Tuesday, reflecting the Obama administration's plans to centralize and elevate computer security as a major national-security issue… The decision follows President Barack Obama's announcement last month that he will establish a new cyber-security office at the White House, whose chief will coordinate all government efforts to protect computer networks.” [WSJ, 06/24/09]