(CNN) – Mitt Romney on Wednesday blasted the Obama administration's policies toward Russia, as tensions rise between the country and the United States over the unrest in Syria.
"Russia has openly armed and protected a murderous regime in Syria, frustrated international sanctions on Iran, and opposed American efforts on a range of issues," Romney said in a statement. "This is an unfortunate failure of President Obama's foreign policy."
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This week, top officials from Russia and the U.S. launched scathing attacks, accusing each other of arming sides in the ongoing conflict in Syria.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday charged Russia with sending attack helicopters to Syria, while Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov dismissed those claims, alleging instead that the United States was escalating the conflict by arming the Syrian opposition.
The war on words raised questions about the future of U.S.-Russia relations, especially given the recent re-installation of Vladimir Putin as the country's president and his snub at the G-8 meeting last month.
"The relationship is not headed in the right direction, but I don't think there's much the United States can do about that," Fareed Zakaria, host of CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS," said Tuesday in an interview with CNN Chief National Correspondent John King.
He added: "There's not much the Obama administration has done that frankly is objectionable with regard to the Russians."
Romney himself made headlines in March when he argued Russia was the country's "number one geopolitical foe." While he has refrained from using the term again, his campaign did not back down from arguing that the country posed a serious threat to the global balance of power.
Obama's team has since used the line to slam Romney as outdated and stuck in a Soviet-era mindset on foreign policy issues.
Zakaria, however, said Russia would first have to overcome its own internal struggles before taking up the mantle of a "great power."
"Russia is now a second-rate power, more a great power vacuum than a great power. So to build them up as a great geopolitical adversary of ours, the economy is in shambles, Russian military is in shambles. They wouldn't be on my top five as a geopolitical adversary," he said.
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Bottom line, you can't trust Russia and everyone in the world knows it, well, except Americans living in Obama land. Obama likes everything happy, easy and if he ignores it then it will go away. I don't think Obama is ready to grow up anymore than his friends in Hollywood who live in the world of fantasy, protected from the outside world. Russia is Russia and will always be Russia. I've always said it, the problem with Americans is that Americans live protected, isolated from the rest of the world due to the fact that the US is far away from Europe and Asia and thus it creates a sense of no fear and no understanding of how people in Europe and Asia think. Saying you trust Russia is like saying you trust Castro or Hugo Chavez.
Romney seems very confused. He never really comes up with anything profound to say. My great fear is if he were to win that he would simply be a puppet president & thus lead us into a bigger ditch than the one Bush left for Obama.
Where does this man get his information! Good lord, he needs to lash out at everything and everybody just to get elected.
Perhaps Mr. Romney would like to start another war with the Russians. Of course, it will not be his children who will be doing the fighting. When he damns the President he is also damning the Pentagon, the State Dept., etc.
This guy Romney is a witch on the hunt for a broom.
Sham on the press for not holding Mr Romney accountable. He's understanding of Foreign policy is based on stock speed sheets .
Hey Mitt.. got any solutions to ANYTHING.
ANYONE can tear down a house, but not everyone can build one.
Still waiting on Mitt to tell us how he would run the country without using Obama's name.
Anything?
And the Do Nothing Republican Congress.. where are the jobs you promised?
1. All I hear from these clowns are how bad the country is doing (and they cheer for it to get worse),
2. All I hear is how Obama and his policies are failures...(yet GM is alive, and Osama is dead)
3. All i hear is if we extend tax breaks for job creators, they'll keep creating the jobs. (see #1 above)
4. All I hear is how Obama keeps spending money (but it was there guy Dubya who started the trillion dollar wars AND deregulated the financial and housing markets that darn near caused our economy to collapse)
So keep blaming Obama for every single bad news in the world Mitt, at some point, you're not gonna be able to run on a "I'm against everything Obama does" platform..The independent voters (the ones who will swing this election) want solutions, not more tired Republican 'burn and blame' sleazy tactics they've been doing for the last 3 years.
How does Obama fail Romeney? Is not the job of United States to policing the world. It is the job of United Nations to mend with what is going on in Syria. Romney has to verify fact before he speaks. If he doesn't understand how it works at least he should ask the expert. United States has its own burden!
Like most chicken hawks, Mittens wants a war so badly, then he can put our troops in harms' way.
"Russia has openly armed and protected a murderous regime in Syria, frustrated international sanctions on Iran, and opposed American efforts on a range of issues," Romney said in a statement. "This is an unfortunate failure of President Obama's foreign policy."
Yup it is all Obamas fault what Russia,Syria and Iran are doing right now, and if you believe that you probably believe lower tax rates for the rich make for a booming economy.
so far all of Romney's campiagn has been "Obama is WRONG about this, Obama is WRONG about that" heck even a broken clock is right twice a day. We elect this guy we will never be out of wars because he will want to attack everyone from Russia to Syria with Iran in between. Funny that especially since he fled from the military back in the 60's to Paris and none of his strapping sons ever served either.
So go start a war with them Mitt, if you feel that strongly. You should be on the front lines. Take your kids with you, Chickenhawk! (And you accuse Obama of talk is cheap...)
Mitt RobMoney, talking and doing are two very different things!
Romney Willard, if you want to start another war with the Eyrian government, a government that have more than 360 thousand standing army, and fill the pockets of your darling military contractors, then get ready to draft your sons into the Marine, or go urself, we are broke and cant afford another nations building when ours is in a mess by the GOP under Bush
Sounds like Romney is already bucking for his signature war! The question is, will it be Russia, China or Syria. He doesn't appear to like any of them.
Obama just fails, period.
Tye GOP and Willard Romney hate the FACT that a Democrat's foreign policy is better than any Republican's in modern history.
Blah Blah Blah. According to Romney and other members of the GOP we should bomb any and everyone.
How many of Romney's five sons are in the military and will be fighting for the country that allowed their Dad to become a millionaire. More conflict with no skin in the game Typical.
And what exactly does Mitt know about foreign policy? Does he not realize that Russia is no longer the Soviet Union, that it is losing population and that its reduced oil revenues are destabilizing its economy?
So what would you do about Russia, Mitt. Attack Russia, go to war. Thats the Repubs solution to world affairs, WAR. What a bunch of neanderthals.
brace for world war three folks, if ever this Guy gets into the white house, I hope atleast one of his sons get drafted. the problem is, what will he do when he deregulate business to freely build China into a more powerful country than us, they will most likely side with Russia. mittens and his corporate allies have money to convince the gullible, and have them vote mittens in, so let's start preparing for the end of life as we know it.
Amnesia Romney forget what G.W.Bush comments about Vladimir Putin so time for us to remind Romney
G.W.Bush said “I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straight forward and trustworthy and we had a very good dialogue. I was able to get a sense of his soul”.
To those saying our president hasn;t enough experience to be in office. How's this....Two years U.S.Senate....Twelve years Illinois state Senate...Civil rights attorney...University of Chicago professor...Harvard law school grad. plus Harvard Review!!!!...a little community organizing in his spare time!!!!!This looks pretty good next a man with a failed Governorship in Massachusetts plus a job putting millions of factory workers on the streets.........LET'S NOT HEAR ABOUT THE LACK OF PRESIDENTIAL EXPERIENCE AGAIN!!!!frankly if we went back in history we would find a surprising number of presidents that had practically no political experience at all!!!!!!
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I guess Romney would like to go to war with Russia. This coming from a man that avoided serving in the military when his country needed brave young men to fight the Viet Nam war. No thanks, Mittens! You have no moral authority to start a war!
I haven't heard what Romney would have done differently. Let me here what he would do differently with the Soviet Union... Oh, that's it; not Soviet Union anymore. Romney's staff and advisors would do well to remember that and understand what could be done to improve the relationship.
Can't be the "white horse" without a strong russia.