(CNN) – Mitt Romney says he wants to return to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Eric Fehrnstrom, an adviser for the the former Massachusetts governor and 2008 Republican presidential candidate, tells CNN that "we are working through the appropriate channels to make this happen."
"I'm going to Afghanistan and Iraq in a couple of months," Romney declared in an interview published Sunday in the Washington Examiner. "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."
McChrystal is the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan. He said Sunday that he wants more troops and a new strategy - but most importantly, he wants to win the battle for the hearts and the minds of the people in the war-torn country.
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said Sunday that the administration is in the process of evaluating its Afghanistan strategy, and once it is confident the strategy is right, it will address the question of additional resources.
Romney, along with two other governors, visited Iraq and Afghanistan in May of 2006, as part of a Department of Defense sponsored trip.
This past weekend Romney, who may make another run at the GOP presidential nomination in 2012, had sharp words for President Barack Obama's handling of foreign relations. At the biennial Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference on Mackinac Island Michigan, Romney said that the president is "above" the world stage and acting too much as a "neutral arbiter" who uses only words to tell other nations what's right and what's wrong.
The previous weekend, Romney also criticized Obama on national security matters at the Value Voters Summit, an annual gathering of social conservatives held in the nation's capitol.
From CNN Politics
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Is this private citizen footing the bill himself, or are the taxpayers paying for his campaign trip?
Romney is such a poser: he thinks if he can get enough photo ops and look the part, people will forget how many times he ran for president and failed.
Has Barry Obama even been to Iraq? I really feel bad for you Americans for the next 7 1/2 yrs. Obama is so arrogant and incomptent it is not even funny.
how much is all this extra protection costing us tax payers?
everytime one of these lime light seekers goes over there, there is a nice target on them, what stress they must cause the ordinary soldier
Can someone tell me why Mitt Romney is acting as if he holds some kind of important position within public life? In the grand scheme of things, his opinion and position are meaningless.
Romney is an idiot!
Exactly what office does Romney hold that he is owed any assessment? Does he think that being rich gives him the authority to do this? At least they won't have to provide him a helmet while he's there.
Why not? It is always good for a war monger to see war first hand.
Romney has no authority and is a private citizen. Why waste our troops time having to guard him. We don't need private citizens going to either country meddling and getting in the way.
The only reason he has for visiting these war zones is to score some politial points. The GOP frontrunner list for 2012 has a lot of former government officials on it.
To do what a show ? your party started those senseless wars and now you want to show the public that you care? common Mitt you will be able to hoodwink the right wing oops the wrong wing of your pathetic party!!
It would have presidential to find out the facts first, then criticize. Not the Mitt-wit.
Give him standard GI stuff, shove a gun in his hand, and send him.
As a civilian, non-government person, he will just create more chaos than is necessary.
Let him sign up if he wants to go.
Okay great! He can move there for good if he wants.
The guy has zero foreign policy experience, why do we need to hear from him
Okay, great! He can move there for good if he wants.
And how is this supposed to help anything?
Romney is not all that. Trust me
So he wants to finish the job instead of cut and run because some peacenik anti-war groups tell him to or the polls don't favor it? Wow! What a radical idea? Too bad Obama will never think of or do anything like that.
You know, where's the Huckster at??? I would assume he'll be around, he's been taking it slow.
Yeah, Mitt still wants to get in the game, he wants to show what he got. I don't know but I have an idea!!
Why don't you take your millions of dollars and give us, the American people, a grand each? Does anybody else think that sounds good? Nah', I'm playing, is his money...LOL!!!
Anybody else think that Romney can have an impact? Should be interesting, it should be. But he's not as popular as he claimed to be. He has some say and can have an impact among some certain groups but overall, Conservatives in general do need someone to stand up for themselves!! They need a leader, a leader who can show that he can not only lead but show the game he got.
Whether what happens in the Wars in Afghan is open up for debate but heed this warning...once you wanna take responsibility, you will be held responsible. Those are the facts.
This man does not hold ANY public office, so why should he be any more facts than any other citizen and why should we care what he'd do?
Why don't you go thru boot camp and go like a true American. Not some suit .
Al Quida in Afghanistan and Iraq are supplied Weapons by Russia.
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No 9/11 terrorists was from Iraq. Iraq was attacked for Bush's greed for OIL. Sr. Bush attacked Iraq in 1991, which was also for OIL. But Sr. Bush did not accomplish mission in eliminating Saddam, which ultimately Jr. Bush Did.....These Guantanamo bay detainees, who were Waterboarded and Tortured by CIA, under Cheney's orders are very small fish. They belong to countries who are in poverty and not industrially advanced. These countries cannot even manufacture a dagger, leave aside sophisticated weapons. RUSSIA IS SUPPLYING WEAPONS TO AL QUIDA.....What has Bush and Cheney done to stop Russia from Supplying Weapons to Al Quida. Bush and Cheney cannot talk and adopt diplomacy, they only know how to war. BUSH AND CHENEY ARE WARMONGERS who RUINED AND BANKRUPTED AMERICA.
The whole time Bush was President, ANY Democrat who dared to question the 'war effort' was villified as un-American, second guessing the Commander in Chief, and thwarting the war effort.
Yet now, Romney and other GOP'ers see no problem in trying to portray America as divided and not behind their Commander in Chief...if it suits THEIR ends. Is this part of the 'Right Wing Conspiracy' talked about this weekend? Are GOP'ers willing to make OUR country look bad in front of the whole world, just to get at Obama?
To me this is the height of political hypocrisy by the GOP. How DARE you not be behind our commander just because he is not from YOUR party? This is 'Country First'????
Mitt, you are a true patriot. You always think about our troops. Look at our president. He has time to go to Denmark to promote Olympics for the cheats in Chicago. He does not have time to spend at oval office to solve our problems. He wants to give speeches but it is all hollow inside. Nobody can trust him. He is still campaigning in the white house and collection money from Americans.