Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney says President Barack Obama has "misunderstood" American values in his policies toward other countries. The Republican nominee is planning a major foreign policy speech in the coming weeks.
Romney on Sunday wrote an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal outlining a foreign policy critique he first made at campaign events following an attack in Libya that killed the U.S. ambassador. Romney is accusing the Obama administration of minimizing the seriousness of that attack and the other threats facing the U.S. in the region.
Romney writes, quote, "our values have been misapplied — and misunderstood" by Obama. He also says Obama has distanced the U.S. from Israel.
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"In recent years, President Obama has allowed our leadership to atrophy. Our economy is stuck in a "recovery" that barely deserves the name," Romney wrote. "Our national debt has risen to record levels. Our military, tested by a decade of war, is facing devastating cuts thanks to the budgetary games played by the White House. Finally, our values have been misapplied—and misunderstood—by a president who thinks that weakness will win favor with our adversaries.
"By failing to maintain the elements of our influence and by stepping away from our allies, President Obama has heightened the prospect of conflict and instability. He does not understand that an American policy that lacks resolve can provoke aggression and encourage disorder."
The Republican nominee was spending Sunday preparing for his first debate with Obama, set for Wednesday in Denver.
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