Mitt Romney Is Over the Top On Barack Obama and Israel
Some of Mitt Romney's campaign statements on foreign policy have been doozies, writes Aaron David Miller, but none seems to be more exaggerated than his assertion in Tampa that Obama has thrown Israel “under the bus.” Miller has been part of five administrations and says no American president has ever (or will ever) throw Israel under the bus.
Mitt Romney has made some doozy campaign statements on foreign policy. But none seems to be more over the top than his assertion in Tampa that President Obama has thrown Israel “under the bus.”
The Republican nominee’s comment poses an intriguing question.
Is his pro-Israeli rhetoric a result of expedient, in-the-moment campaign rhetoric or does it reflect a deeper sentiment that could make Mitt Romney the most pro-Israeli Republican president ever?
First things first. Is Romney’s assertion accurate? The answer on that one is emphatically no. I’ve been a part of five administrations beginning with Ronald Reagan and seen some pretty heavy duty fights between the US and Israel; and no American president has ever (or will ever) throw Israel under the bus. Indeed, particularly on the security side, American presidents give the Israelis major leeway and latitude.
