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Subscribe to RSSNBC's Domenico Montanaro reports on the Values Voter Summit in Washington and what Republicans are doing to try and rally the conservative base. Plus, the fatal mistake the Romney campaign may have made in elevating Bill Clinton.
WASHINGTON -- Appearing at an annual gathering of conservative Christian voters, former presidential candidate Rick Santorum accused President Barack Obama of "coddling and appeasing" America's enemies and said the Obama administration is at least partially responsible for ongoing violence in post-Arab Spring nations.
"This president has to take a share of the responsibility for what the Middle East looks like today because he helped structure it," Santorum told attendees at the Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C., adding that Obama has "turned his back" on allies like Israel and the government of Egypt.
"He has sent a very clear message to that area of the world," he said of Obama. "If you're a friend of the United States, you're on your own. If you are an enemy of the United States, let's talk."
Anti-U.S. protests rocked over 20 nations across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia this week, and four Americans were killed during an attack in Benghazi, Libya.
Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney has slammed the Obama administration for "apologizing" for American values in its dealings with Islamic militants, a sentiment that his former rival Santorum echoed today.
"Gov. Romney boldly went out and called this administration on their policies, their weak, lead-from-behind appeasing policies against those who threaten us and our security," Santorum said. "He stood up and called them what they were."
While he fought bitterly against the now-GOP nominee in the Republican primary, the former Pennsylvania senator repeatedly praised Romney before the audience of Christian social conservatives, a group that represents the backbone of Santorum's political base.
"I'm so encouraged that Gov. Romney has embraced some of the things I campaigned upon and that you across America have encouraged me to give voice to," he said. "He's giving voice to those things because he understands who we are. Mitt Romney understands America. He understands those values. And he shares those values."
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Santorum think about it How did we get over there in the first place. I think the GOP had something to do about it and Obama just inherited all this along with a broke USA. He has slowly bringing the country back but the GOP isn't helping in any way but, come November most of all the GOP will be kicked down the road like a can.
Santorum who?
We as Americans have taken more than we should have. They attack us for who we are. they attack us for what we believe. They attack us for who we are allied. they attack us on our own soil with our own planes. They attack us under a guise of friendship while we train them. We are under attack and we should retaliate.
I never did like Santorum and especially now with his lies along with the rest of the rpublicans!!
Foreign policy that is working does not have embassies burned and ambassadors killed. The only way to judge America's influence and our foreign policy is what is happening to respect for our country.
Excuses and finger pointing never gets the job done nor does guarding embassies without loaded weapons.
The buck stops at the top and not with others who point out weaknesses and soft spots in leadership skills. The first statement issued by this administration on the embassy attacks were against Romney, not on the attacks.
After the attacks and Americans killed, Pres. Obama goes on to fund raisers in Las Vegas...any POTUS other than Obama would have been severely criticized by an independent press and there would have been public outrage...but not today. We live in a world where divert and deflect and excuse is acceptable rather than accountability.
You REALLY don't sound "Independent". Me thinks you troll to the right pretty far.
Middle of the road but if you are driving far left of center, may look like something different.
Middle of the road. Yeah. Right. Heh heh. Not turning around immediately and causing further bloodshed is a sign of "weakness" right??
Yeah, middle of the road. Don't make me laugh.
Bloodshed is averted by strength, that is why you can not get on an army base even in America without being stopped by an armed guard. Once the report on this tragedy is public, we will likely find no armed guards and that someone inside pointed out the safe house which was a mile away. After burning the embassy, they went specifically to the safe house to hunt down and kill the ambassador. They met no armed resistance which is likely why the ambassador was killed an hour after the burning of the embassy. If my anger at this makes me anything but an independent, so be it, because this angers me a lot.
real you live in a fantasy world if you think the US military is impenetrable. 19 guys armed with box cutters blew your fantasy out of the water on 9-11. Or have you conveniently forgotten that? And hey, how did all that "strength" work out for ya in Iraq? That "strength" really stood up to the test huh? Any more smoke you'd like to blow out your a$$?
Ryan, Romney and Santorum are an embarrassment. There was no apology given by Obama...typical of the 'Republicants' to get it wrong once again...if either of these idiots were in a position of power we would probably be in another war...as in the case of Iraq and Afghanistan. These 'chickenhawks' woud have us in another war in an instant...never mind that most them never served...
FactCheck:
Romney said the administration issued an “apology for American values.” True or false?
“False. When he said that was the first response to the attacks on both our embassies in Libya and in Egypt and he just got his facts backward on this. He got his timeline completely wrong,” Jackson told WCBS 880′s Wayne Cabot.
Romney says the mob was already inside the embassy grounds when the embassy issued its statement that said “respect for religious beliefs is a cornerstone of American democracy.”
Is that a factual statement?
“No. Several hours before the embassy in Cairo was attacked and, of course, long before the embassy in Libya and the tragic deaths there, the U.S. embassy in Cairo put out a statement under the headline ‘U.S. embassy condemns religious incitement’ and ‘it condemns continuing efforts by misguided individuals…’ meaning the people who’d put this anti-Muslim film up on YouTube, ‘… condemns those efforts to hurt the feelings of Muslims,’” Jackson said. “That was issued before any attacks at all.”
“This line from Mitt Romney about apologizing for American values, when you were researching that, you found that it came up before in Romney’s various speeches?” Cabot said.
“Well, he’s even written a book, ‘No Apologies,’ and he makes the repeated assertion that Barack Obama has gone around the world ‘apologizing for America’ quote unquote or ‘apologizing for American values’ and we’ve looked at the speeches, as have other fact checkers that Romney refers to, and we don’t see an apology there,” Jackson said.
What would we do if not for liberals interpreting for us. You interpret that the statement as issued was an endorsement of freedom of speech???
It was re-canted by the administration as well it should. Too bad you can not re-interpret for them so the re-cant could be re-canted.
Ah yes, it's the liberals, isn't it, middle of the road. You are totally full of @!$%#, middle of the road.
Ah yes, it is what it is, isn't it.
I do not see independents interpreting for others...only liberals and conservatives.
Spin it whatever way you like, these attacks stink to high heaven no matter what adverbs you use.
Freemarketfan @ 1:59 pm posted a complete and total fabricated, fantasy falsehood.
The day I'm inaugurated, Muslim Hostility will cease! Barack Hussein Obama, New Hampshire Public Radio, November 21, 2007
"The day I'm inaugurated" etc., is a bogus headline from a Breitbart hit piece and it doesn't even resemble what Sen. Obama said that day. The phony nonsense is here: . Because it's Breitbart garbage, you have to put up with a commercial before hearing Obama's answer to a radio listener's question.
This fake quote was then picked up be all the rightwingnutjobz media and repeated. "Freemarket" changed the fake "will ease" to the even more ridiculous "well cease." What a lying nutcase.
I guess nothing Obama has said was said by Obama.
Well, tom, can you refute what the writer has said about this statement having been tampered with?
Obama's poor handling of the Middle East and the Economy will most likely result in another war, higher fuel prices, a stagnant economy, and rampant poverty here in the U.S. for as long as his policies remain in effect.
Typical Neocon bullsh-t
How is the weather on Planet Kolob?
Another war?? Started by WHOM?? Maybe by Romney if he and the GOP gain power. Or have you completely forgotten the Bush years. Actually, if you have, I wouldn't blame you.
I wonder how much this idiot, Mitwitt and the rest of the idiots that are yelling know about the US Military and the functions that it performs? The answer is NONE!!
The answer is not to go into these countries with guns blazing. The last thing we need to to is to kill the innocent people ...
Just like with the radicals that we have here in the US, these countries have radicals as well. Any retaliation needs to be planned, and it needs to be focused against the right groups/people.
The best thing to do is to get these men and women out of these countries.
Forget about Romney-Ryan. They're toast now. The way out of the economic mess is to replace that large contingent of obstructionists that currently infest the House of Representatives. That’s where the DNC needs to focus. No President can achieve very much without cooperation, and the Republicans have chosen to put their presumed party interests ahead of America’s. After 45 years as a Republican I’ll be voting for the Democrats, not the Plutocrats.
Ya know I just thank the lucky stars that Obama will win. Then all these stupid biggotted republicans can scratch their eyes out and cry over all the money they wasted on Romney.
A collective insult is an insult nevertheless. Where is the mentor? I will not accept some Bozo calling me a bigot.
tom, clearly you need a mentor. ya bigot! lol
The idiotic statement by Mr.Santorum about Pres.Obama policies toward Israel and Egypt is not supported by facts and is nothing but lies.It is a result of Republican leaders,including Romney's,frustration with skilled handling of securuty and foreign relations by the President. Santorum should concern himself how inept his presidential nominee is, as he repeatedly demonstrates his ignorance by prematurely and wildly commenting on events at the time when our country should show the world a unified posture.
We appear weak to these protesters. You can't reason them. They are indoctrinated from the time they can talk to hate America. They don't want to be appeased, they want to hate us. We need strength and leadership in the White House ... which we don't have now.
...and you think we should do waht? Carpet bomb? Drone strikes on their Mosques? Advertise on Al Jazeera?
Get real.
Try supporting our President.
This a President that, in less than four years, was able to devise a plan that neutralized Al-Qaeda. Our military did the hard work but this time they were supported by effective leadership. The Republicans tried for 8 years and could not do the job, and that's fine because they tried. We should respect them for that but, why not give this president the credit he deserves? He has been a great leader and the voters will thank him in November.
I wouldn't give a care about what that right wing policy radical Santorum has to say anymore than any of the other right wing radicals that are giving their two cents. None of them has anything to say that makes sense so we just ignore them and move on.
So, what are you saying...you don't listen to anything unless it begins with FREE.
By scrotum's logic, we must conclude that Bush was partially responsible for 9/11. Santorum, STFU. Not only is your comment in bad taste, you dis-honor those who were killed in this recent attack. This is most un-American of you. We must ask, do you love this country?
The republicans have gone off the tracks and dems will win the house and the senate, thank god. Then maybe we can get our house in order.
Hmmm....wait, we've allready tried that Democratic majority nonsense.
If Obama is elected again this country is destroyed
Gobig, you are as bad as Obama. First you Boo God, then you want to thank God. WOW, Is Egypt our ally or enemy?
Rick is at least consistent; he has yet to say anything intelligent. I will definitely vote for Obama--the teapubs are radical jerks just like him. If we could have had the best candidate running as a repub., it would have been Jon Huntsman--not Romney. All the rest of the crop are horrid at best--especially Santorum. He is a parasite on the government and a liar and a phony. Get lost already.
They hate us. Any excuse to riot will do. We hate them and instead of a riot I see you guys here, shooting your mouths off. Lilly livers!
Says the one on here, shooting their mouth off. Grab your gun Sarah and head to Egypt! or, are you a lilly liver?
Amazing that the president can make time to speak with "the pimp with a limp" but has a so called scheduling conflict when it comes to speaking with the P.M. of Israel.....What's up with that Mr. President?????
Obama bagged bin Laden.
Obama bagged al-Zawahiri (or Zawawri, or however the hell it's pronounced-- you know, the "other guy").
Obama bagged (insert any one of a whole bunch of other high-profile terrorists here).
Not bad for someone that Republicons say is a foreigner and a Muslim, eh?
OBAMA 2012
All Obama can manage is a broken ATM.
If he has a chance he is going to put the middle east under the control of Saudia Arabia. He did not bag Bin Laden the military did all he did is sit back and watch but one thing he did do is put the Doctor who gave the info of where Bin Laden was in prison for 30+years by opening his mouth
Ave S.........Soooo, should we start calling Obama a bagger. hahahahahahahahahaha
Sure he is responsible. He makes sure GOD is not heard at the DNC and then kisses the ass of the Muslim brotherhood. How much more off this do we have to take. He might as well make an announcement saying the US is going down and I am proud of it
What's your God got to do with it? Tell us.
Remember Ronald Reagan and Beirut?! Obviously Santorum doesn't or probably just doesn't give a damn! I suppose Romney and Santorum are going to blame Obama for making the movie too! Go away please!
Santorum is just another lackey for the Jewish Lobby. All this bilge water spilling out of his mouth along with Romney, Bolten,Cheney,and the mental dwarfs at Fox Noise. Israel is not our Ally, yes, the Islamic Terroists have done terrible things to Jewish innocents and should be captured and punished to the extent of their crimes.Israel is also guilty of similar atrocities,especially against the Palestenians ,which has been going on for over 4 decades. Why is it the News Media doesnt devote an evenings worth of coverage on the Jewish States crime against humanity?iTS TIME TO STOP ALL AID TO iSRAEL,.
So, some rightwing bigot posts an inflammatory film on the web after Bush's wars have inflamed the hatred for the U.S. of the entire Middle East and it's somehow Obama's fault?
Both Obama and Santorum are idiots.
You too