Mitt Romney really should show more common sense than to travel to Israel and declare that Jerusalem is their capital and that he will move our embassy there whenever the Israelis feel it would be a good time to do so. It’s an unnecessarily provocative move that isn’t likely to win him many Jewish votes. And it’s just one more example of Romney making promises that really amount to an abdication of responsibility. 
He’ll let his generals decide his foreign policy. He’ll consult his lawyers before he confronts Iran. He’ll let Israel attack Iran without any conditions. He’ll let Israel decide when to move our embassy to Jerusalem.
It’s a pattern of behavior at this point. And I think most Jewish-Americans are familiar enough with the controversy over Jerusalem’s status that they’ll see Romney’s behavior as naked pandering that demonstrates a reckless disregard for protocol.
It isn’t really much different from going to Taiwan and declaring that it isn’t part of China. The only difference is that China has more power to strike back than the Arab World. The final status of Jerusalem is supposed to be decided as part of a comprehensive peace agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians, brokered by the regional powers and the international community. It is not supposed to be decided on the back of candidate Romney’s cocktail napkin.
There are ways to talk about the Israelis’ claim on Jerusalem without challenging sixty years of US foreign policy while you are standing on foreign soil. But Romney either doesn’t know how to do diplomacy or he’s just under the misimpression that a large number of Jewish retirees in Florida are going to be so impressed with his pro-Israel stance that they’ll vote for him.
My guess is that he’ll lose at least one of those votes with these antics for every vote he gains.
In the meantime, most disinterested observers just think he’s being an ass and showing weakness. If he’s president, it seems everyone will be driving the jet-ski but Romney.
Once again an illustration of our greatest freedom ~ the freedom to be as publicly stupid as you please.
Good job . . . identifying something Romney does well.
As a Jewish American, I can say that I agree with you, though I can’t speak for those in Florida. I can say that my gut tells me that Sheldon Adelson looks like a sleazy, shady character, even to Jews — and they will be loathe to support the guy he supports. The more Adelson gives, I believe, the less Jews will get on board Romney’s jet ski.
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Well, Romney hasn’t flip-flopped on taking advise from his attorneys before going to war on Iran.
In this year’s debates, an astounding reply from Romney: “I’ll sit down with my attorneys” [… at 3am in the morning?]
Ron Paul: “Why don’t you read the Constitution first!”
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."May soon hear a cry of “foul” from the Romonies for attaching that photo to criticism of Mitt.
Ann riding/driving is therapy for her MS and Mitt is there for her protection.
Am I missing something here? To me it’s shocking to see Romney going to one of the world’s most volatile hotspots and undercutting policy that he has no status to discuss with other nations. I realize that he’s really talking to Americans, but he’s in Israel, not FL. As a mere candidate his only role abroad is to listen and learn, not pontificate. If he wants to talk international policy the place to do that is here.
I can’t remember any precedents for a non-incumbent candidate going abroad and speechifying about specific US policy while he’s addressing the officials and citizens of a foreign country. They can’t vote for him, so the whole exercise is a blatant sham. If I were an Israeli I’d deeply resent Romney exploiting me and my country for blatantly obvious domestic politics, no matter how welcome the message might be.
Didn’t McCain do this as well?
I’m going to keep repeating this until it’s no longer true:
“And yet he’s even in the polls.”
I say this not to point out the danger that he could still win – that’s true, but a better measure is the state-by-state polls, where Obama has consistently been well ahead in electoral votes so far. It’s to point out that for all the times Mitt’s done something stupid or reckless or blatantly dishonest – in other words, a minimum of several times a day for years now – it has not significantly hurt him. Even when, as in this case or the UK, he actively undermines established US foreign policy.
There may well be a tipping point where that changes and Romney gets voter blowback – it would do wonders for my general impression of voter intelligence were that so – but it hasn’t happened yet. And it might not. With huge amounts of money at Romney’s disposal, and a solid chunk of voters operating in a Fox-created fantasy land, we’re really in uncharted waters. We should be appalled by his behavior, yes, but we should not be gloating or complacent.
Most people have already decided, regardless of what they do or say. It’ll take a major shift in the narrative of one or the other to make the difference — and much closer to election. The people who haven’t decided are waiting to see which way the wind blows because they want to be with a winner. At least that’s my take on it.
Dude, this is his thing. He’s just outsourcing American foreign policy.
See, now he doesn’t have to worry about it anymore! That’s how that works.
and by doing it, he maintains plausible deniability.
it’s classic ceo modus operandi.
Romney isn’t courting Jewish votes – he’s still trying to nail down the right-most evangelicals who still aren’t feeling him.
I believe you are right.
Note that these are not mutually exclusive pursuits. If stirring up a few thousand conservative evangelical Christians, and flipping a few thousand elderly Jews swings Florida into the Republican column, then that’s what’s known as a win-win for Romney.
Yes, that’s true, except there are A LOT more End Times Christians than elderly Jews in this great land of ours. Even, I dare say, in the state of Florida.
I’m dismayed that no one I’ve read so far has noticed that Mitt is also fueling uncertainty about the Middle East oil supply, thus driving up the price of gasoline, which will drive up Obama’s negatives.
None dare call it treason, indeed?