Many readers are not aware of the fact that one of the prerogatives of being a newspaper publisher is that the publisher chooses the titles for the letters that he publishes in his newspaper. Sometimes, I love the title that this newspaper gives to my article; the title is better than anything that I could have thought of myself. But other times, the title is a bit off base, or even makes it sound as if my article says the opposite of what I wrote.
The title given to my most recent article was one of those “off base” ones. The title given to my article, “Romney leaves debt questions unanswered,” made it sound as if Gov. Romney failed to answer a question about how to handle the national debt. That is not so, and is not what I wrote.
In fact, my article praised Gov. Romney for his excellent response as to how to deal with the deficit, including his test for deciding if a spending item is necessary. (Is it worth borrowing from China to pay for it?) Gov. Romney also correctly focused on economic growth, and set forth the outlines of his detailed plan for setting our economy on the correct course.
In other words, Gov. Romney fully answered the debt and deficit questions.
The issue that my article raised was only that Gov. Romney should have explained more in the first debate about why his answers are so important for our country right now. Fortunately, he did this in the second debate.
The Obama deficit negatively impacts everyone’s lives today (including causing rising food and fuel prices due to the devaluation of the dollar). Both the current generation and future generations will suffer if we have another four years of President Obama’s wild deficit spending, declining family incomes and sluggish economy.
Similar points can be made about the foreign policy debate this week. Gov. Romney made the important overall policy point that an economically and militarily stronger America is better able to protect our interests and resolve disputes with less need to actually resort to war.
Gov. Romney also aptly pointed out some of President Obama’s foreign policy failings.
For instance: Iran is our greatest national security threat and is four years closer to a nuclear bomb – and Iran’s mullahs have been emboldened by the Obama administration’s weakness, “apology tour” (Obama’s statements in Cairo condemning America) and disparagement of Israel; Obama’s constant unwarranted pressure on our ally Israel has been so extreme that 38 Democratic senators wrote a letter to Obama asking the president to repair the damage; Northern Mali has been taken over by al Qaeda; Egypt has a Muslim Brotherhood president; North Korea is continuing to export its nuclear weapons technology; Russia is now saying that it will stop complying with the Nunn-Lugar nuclear non-proliferation treaty that the United States had with Russia; and President Obama failed to speak up for the Green Revolution dissidents in the streets of Tehran when the dissidents begged Obama to do so – to name a few of the items Governor Romney mentioned. Gov. Romney deserves much credit for bringing up all of these critical issues.
I again realize that time limitations make it impossible to hit every argument in a debate. But I nonetheless wish that Gov. Romney had time to emphasize the impact of the Obama administration’s foreign policy failings, which make Obama’s re-election downright dangerous for our country and our allies.
For instance, Al Qaeda’s takeover of northern Mali has created a new 2001-Afghanistan-like al Qaeda sanctuary and is part of a huge resurgence of al Qaeda operations and training camps throughout the Maghreb (northwest Africa). AQIM (al Qaeda of the Islamic Maghreb) is heavily armed with Gaddafi’s former weapons stockpiles – which the Obama administration failed to secure – a huge foreign policy failing.
AQIM operatives have been arrested in Spain, are located throughout the Maghreb, are believed to have infiltrated other European countries, and threaten all of the West. North Korea’s exports of its nuclear technology have aided some of the most dangerous, anti-American regimes.
The Muslim Brotherhood is dedicated to jihad. Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood president, Mohammed Morsi, has indicated his intention of tearing up the peace treaty with Israel, and refuses to protect Egypt’s Christian Copts from murderous attacks and Church bombings.
Last month, Morsi prohibited High Holiday services from taking place at Egypt’s one remaining synagogue. And just last week, Morsi attended and approved a prayer service calling for Muslims to “destroy the Jews and their supporters.” Yet, Obama continues to send huge amounts of our tax dollars to the Muslim Brotherhood Egyptian regime. And Gov. Romney should have pointed out that Obama refused to even let the legislation to impose sanctions on Iran come to a vote for 18 months, and then granted so many waivers that Obama severely impaired the sanctions’ effectiveness.
And, as Charles Krauthammer put it: “I would have gone after Obama on Libya like a baseball bat.”
President Obama owes an explanation to the American people regarding his administration’s refusals to heed Ambassador Stevens’ repeated pleas for more protection, and for weeks of lies to the American people about the nature of the planned al Qaeda – Ansar al-Shariah terrorist attack on our diplomats.
The explanation should go even further than this. For instance, why was the commander of the Benghazi terrorist attack (Ahmed Abu Khattala) released from Libyan prison by the interim Libyan government – which was put in place with America’s help – even though Khattala refused to renounce violence? Why are the weapons that Gaddafi kept under lock and key now in the hands of AQIM, al Qaeda forces in Syria, and Hamas terrorists operating in Sinai and Gaza? (Just last week, shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles from the Libyan stockpile were used in an attempt to shoot down an Israeli helicopter.)
And questions also need to be raised about the repeated meetings of President Obama’s White House with Muslim extremists.
The Investigative Project on Terrorism’s report this week details hundreds of such visits – including 20 visits by individuals from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). (CAIR was an unindicted co-conspirator in the huge terrorism funding trial which convicted Holy Land Foundation officials for funneling money to the Hamas terrorist organization.) (The IPT’s report is worthwhile reading.)
Incidentally, I will be discussing President Obama’s Middle East agenda next Monday, Oct. 29 at a meeting sponsored by the Nassau County Women’s Republican Committee and Great Neck Republican Committee, at the VFW, 155 Searington Road, Albertson, at 8 p.m. Admission is free and all are welcome!
Liz Berney, Esq.
Great Neck
