Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Mitt doubles down on Obama "Apology Tour" in new ad
Posted by Mitch Perry on Tue, Oct 23, 2012 at 9:11 AM
No Apology was the name of Mitt Romney's 2009 book. It's a theme he has used for years, accusing Barack Obama of apologizing for America overseas, specifically on his 2009 tour of foreign nations.
And he used it again in Monday night's foreign policy debate in Boca Raton, though President Obama was more than ready with the charge, which he called "the biggest whopper of the campaign."
But Team Romney feels so good about that exchange that they've put Mitt's blast into a 30-second television ad (no word on what states it's airing in).
So, was Obama's 2009 Mideast trip an "apology tour"?
Well, the Washington Post's fact-checker, Glenn Kessler, researched this item last year, and gave Romney Four Pinocchios, PolitiFact's version of "pants on fire."
You can read all of his column here, but here's how it ends:
The Pinocchio TestThe claim that Obama repeatedly has apologized for the United States is not borne out by the facts, especially if his full quotes are viewed in context.
Obama often was trying to draw a rhetorical distinction between his policies and that of President Bush, a common practice when the presidency changes parties. The shift in policies, in fact, might have been more dramatic from Clinton to Bush than from Bush to Obama, given how Obama has largely maintained Bush's approach to fighting terrorism.
In other cases, Obama's quotes have been selectively trimmed for political purposes. Or they were not much different than sentiments expressed by Bush or his secretary of state. 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.
Latest in Daily Loaf
-
Boy Scouts of America decision to take in openly gay youth as members a bitter pill for John Stemberger to swallow
The conservative leader says he's leaving the Scouts and will form a new "character development organization for boys."
-
2013 Tropical Heatwave video recap
The CL video recap of WMNF's annual Tropical Heatwave music festival, which was held on May 10 and 11 in Ybor City.
-
Major rallies against Monsanto planned this Saturday in Tampa and St. Petersburg
Concerns about genetically modified foods have caused more than 30 states to consider labeling laws.
- More »
