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Updated 6:40 p.m. - CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Sen. John Kerry will launch a broadside against Mitt Romney this evening on an issue -- foreign policy -- that has largely taken a backseat to a weeklong focus on the economy.
Jason Reed / REUTERS
Senator and former presidential candidate John Kerry, D-Ma., stands at the podium during a walk through of the stage area ahead of the second session of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, September 5, 2012.
Kerry, the 2008 Democratic presidential nominee and the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, will cast GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney's foreign policy as either incomprehensible or a retread of the Bush administration.
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"In this campaign, we have a fundamental choice: Will we protect our country and our allies, advance our interests and ideals, do battle where we must, and make peace where we can?" Kerry will say, according to advance excerpts of his speech. "Or will we entrust our place in the world to someone who just hasn't learned the lessons of the last decade?"
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Democrats have criticized Romney for barely referencing foreign policy in his nomination acceptance speech last week in Tampa, making no reference at all to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that stretched must of the last decade. (Romney has defended himself by pointing to remarks he delivered the day before that focused largely on issues of foreign policy and national security.)
Ahead of tonight's speeches, the Romney campaign argued Thursday would be an excercise in rewriting history in Obama's record.
"An inventory of his record shows that by nearly all measures, President Obama has diminished American influence abroad and compromised our interests and values," wrote Romney policy director Lanhee Chen.
First lady Michelle Obama speaks to NBC's Brian Williams about keeping life balanced for her daughters. She is focused on keeping their lives as normal as possible while allowing them to appreciate their chance to witness history.
Foreign policy hasn't been at the forefront of this week's Democratic National Convention, but Kerry will look to turn the spotlight tonight to that issue, on which Obama owns an advantage over Romney in the polls.
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Kerry will take aim at two of Romney's central criticisms of Obama in the speech, relating to Israel and the management of the war in Afghanistan. (Romney has accused Obama of throwing Israel "under the bus," and has criticized Obama's timetable for withdrawing from Afghanistan too dangerous, though Romney wouldn't keep a full level of troops there for that much longer.)
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"Barack Obama promised always to stand with Israel -- to tighten sanctions on Iran and take nothing off the table. Again and again the other side has lied about where this President stands and what this President has done," Kerry will say.
On Afghanistan, the Massachusetts senator (and potential future secretary of state in the Obama administration) will say: "It isn’t fair to say Mitt Romney doesn’t have a position on Afghanistan. He has every position."
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Romney must be right. Nobody has thrown shoes at Obama on any of his junkets (under the "if you care enough to send your very best" doctrine). Nobody abroad felt moved to "shoe" Obama like they did Bush. Why even Romney would have received that accolade in England, if the shoe guys were there.
Mitt the Twit!
Cooper the blooper!
Kerry is a loser that is trying to write some kind obit to his failed senate tenure. He tried to ram the Law of the sea treaty down our throats. He tried to take our guns aways with the U.N. small arms treaty. Kerry is just plain anti-american values!
Ernie,
Ram it down our throats?
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2012/07/16/gop-opposition-scuttles-law-of-sea-treaty/
The Party Of NO killed this highly supported bill. Hypocrites!! Read the Wall Street Journal article and educate yourself!
Ernie,
From the article, more stuff you missed about the Law Of the Seas Treaty.
John Kerry..... ha, ha, ha... When Biden was in the Senate Kerry was the second stupidest Senator... now he is the stupidest.
Maybe Kerry will give his speech in French from his tax dodging yacht.
I think you have Bishop Romney and Mr. Kerry confused silly woman.
Hey Democrats...no 911 on President Obama's watch..do we really need to say more?
Yes we do. Not only did 911 happen on Bush/Republicans watch, it took a Democrat, President Obama, to kill the instigator.
Oh, Bush and the Republicans "tried" to track him down but ultimately failed until an Obama/Democrat led armed forces nailed Bin Ladens ass. Think about it. It wasn't in Cheney's best interest to kill Bin Laden anyway. By extending the war look how much money Haliburton has profited.
Republicans are so transparent and their followers are soooooooo dumb.
Didn't Clinton's CIA have him in their sights and let him go. SO by your logic Clinton could have stopped 9/11 from happening?
Moron!
Bishop Romney is such a coward. Not only did he dodge the draft when it was his turn to defend the US, not one of his five sons volunteered for the armed forces. The entire family is a bunch of pussy boys - like father like son.
Bishop Romney wants to act all tough now and threaten Iran and Russia...he doesn't pass the laugh test. Gawd I can't wait for the debates.
Now which party represents freedom, patriotism, values, respect for our troops? That's right, it's the Democrat Party.
Republicans are anti-American.
Which party removed reference to God and Isarel, and then stuffed it back in despite the nays having the larger voice?
And your silly point is??
Bishop Romney said today on Fox that he only spoke of "important" issues when asked why he did not mention our troops in Afganistan during his speech to the nation at the RNC. So this baboon thinks that our troops who are fighting for our freedom are NOT important. Who is this guy? A self serving punk, thats who! How can any red blooded American vote for this codger dodger? Talk about hipocracy.
Coopster did you take issue with Clinton lack of service as well?
Talk about a hypocrite!
John Kerry, who served in Vietnam and married to get his money, is a disgusting human being. For him to even suggest Romney is not qualified on foreign policy is laughable - the Messiah, the One, the Blowhard Obama, has ZERO foreign policy experience when he took office. Yet where was Kerry then? Typical leftist pig. We are so lucky we didn't have Kerry as president. He could have been as bad as that repugnant race-baiting, class warfare waging punk we have now.
Kerry served in the Armed Forces for the United States of America. Did you? Didn't think so.
So go ahead and snuggle up next to your codger-dodger, moron Mormon lying Bishop Romney and and peckerwood Lyin'Ryan. Good luck with that! What a team and that is who you entrust with our armed forces and our nations security?
For those of you who have an issue with Romney's lack of military service where was your outrage for Clinton's lack of military service?
Clinton's political opponents charge that to avoid being drafted into the Vietnam War during his college years, he used the political influence of a U.S. Senator, who employed him as an aide.[11] Col. Eugene Holmes, an Army officer who was involved in Clinton's case, issued a notarized statement during the 1992 presidential campaign: "I was informed by the draft board that it was of interest to Senator Fullbright's office that Bill Clinton, a Rhodes Scholar, should be admitted to the ROTC program... I believe that he purposely deceived me, using the possibility of joining the ROTC as a ploy to work with the draft board to delay his induction and get a new draft classification."[
No matter how the Republicans twist and shout, they cannot erase from the HISTORY books that the most deadly attack in US history happened on the Republicans/George Bush watch and it took a true patriot, President Obama to track and kill the perpetrator, Bin Laden, of this atrocity.
The Democrats now carry the torch for protecting the greatest country in the world, the United States of America.
A vote for Mormon Bishop Willard Romney is a vote for more war, something the Republicans just can't get enough of.
Obama/Biden 2012 - the ONLY patriotic choice!
so
Speedy. What did you do in the war? I suspect just another chickenhawk. John Kerry had one of the most dangerous jobs in RVN. I was an infantryman and would not have traded with him. He was truly slandered by the right wing nutjobs.
Bush was able to pull strings to jump the waiting list into his N G unit, all to avoid combat duty. there is no evidence that he even showed up for his last two years of cushy service.
What’s more telling is the whispered plea from President Obama (caught on mic) to then Russian President Dimitry Medvedev in March 2012, regarding the NATO missile defense system in Europe:
This is my last election," Obama told Medvedev. "After my election I have more flexibility."
“I understand. I will transmit this information to Vladimir," Medvedev said, referring to incoming President Vladimir Putin.
This is the foreign policy story that needs to be discussed right now by all Americans regardless of party affiliation.
Seems like this author should check his facts a little more. As I recall Obama was the 2008 Democratic presidential nominee not Kerry. Maybe try a little spell check as well. But as with most internet authors...facts and grammer don't matter