I never liked Mitt Romney
To me he embodies the stereotype of a slimy politician
He panders to conservatives' irrational passions without any attempt to conceal that he’s just regurgitating tired old slogans
It’s like those guys that are overly romantic and say what they think women want to hear
Like they’ve watched awful Matthew Mcconaughey movies and took notes
They think they’re cunning, but we see right through them

You think you’re cunning Mitt, but I see right through you

Nevertheless, I let him be
Even if he were to win the nomination (which it’s pretty much looking like he won’t) if Americans are as intelligent as I think they are, they will not vote Republican
And not just because they hate Bush, but because Republicans continue to demonstrate how out of touch with reality they are

But today, Mitt made a speech following his non-win in Florida and said something like this:

And to all of those who criticize President Bush, it is because of him that America has been safe for the past 6 years


Whoa whoa whoa
Safe?
Safe you say?

Forgetting the fact that the Middle East is in such a volatile state because President Brilliant, having a sketchy perception of the area and it’s people, decided to meddle in it
and unbeknownst to him these states do not take too kindly to a Western presence on their turf (yes even those that we have stable relations with)

It is because of Bush and his administration’s half-assed preparation for, invasion of, and current occupation of Iraq that our soldiers are still there
Still being shot at, still getting shrapnel lodged in their organs, still being sent back to their families in caskets

But o.k. I’m not really addressing Romney’s claim that America itself has been “safe” for the past 6 years because of President Bush
This assertion relies on 2 factors
What Romney defines as “safe”
And if Bush himself had a direct or indirect hand in keeping America “safe”

First of all, if anyone should be given credit for preventing terrorist attacks on U.S. soil it should be the intelligence community: the F.B.I. the C.I.A. A.T.F. the State Department, or even your local Circuit City employee (in order to find that humorous I advise you to google: “the Dukas of Cherry Hill”)

Second of all, America is far from safe
I can best elaborate with an excerpt from my paper “The War in Iraq’s Role in the Recruitment and Motivation of Terrorists”

Let’s intro a little bit:

The United States’ occupation of Iraq is a defining factor in fueling the spread of pervasive anti-U.S. sentiment and the radical ideology that is necessary to convert potential recruits. By acting as a catalyst for radicalization, Iraq has become a rallying cry for Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups, and for the new generation of disaffected Muslims that these groups target to recruit for the cause.

Operation Iraqi Freedom represented a reach into the Arab world to remove a regime and replace it with the U.S. principles of democracy, pluralism and secularism. The aim being to drain the Arab world from the sources of radicalization that made September 11th possible. Instead, the effort to transform Iraq became itself a source of radicalization. For terrorists and their potential recruits, the invasion and occupation of Iraq is the personification of America’s aggressive imperialism. Terrorist groups, specifically Al-Qaeda, frame the war in Iraq as a battle between a morally vacant superpower seeking to advance its agenda, and the relentlessly persecuted, righteous community of Muslims. By promoting the perception of U.S. neocolonialist encroachment on Muslim lands, a sense of crisis is instilled in those receptive to the message. For Al-Qaeda, this crisis is driven by an American conspiracy to invade Muslim lands and oppress its people. Vengeance becomes a necessity, and alienated, disaffected individuals feel it is their duty to join the struggle. Iraq has become the locus of this struggle; a battlefield for jihad.

Just some proof in case you needed it:

In his testimony before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on “The Changing Face of Terror – A Post 9-11 Assessment”, Ambassador Henry Crumpton describes how violence is justified in the face of desperation. “When a lack of freedom destroys hope, individuals sometimes feel they are justified to lash out in rage and frustration at those they believe responsible for their plight” (Crumpton, 2006). The United States is the target of this rage.

Declassified Key Judgments on the National Intelligence Estimate “Trends in Global Terrorism: Implications for the United States,” cites four factors that are fueling the spread of the jihadist movement.
(1) entrenched grievances, such as corruption, injustice, and fear of Western domination, leading to anger, humiliation, and a sense of powerlessness; (2) the Iraq ‘jihad’ (3) the slow pace of real and sustained economic, social and political reforms in many Muslim majority nations; and (4) pervasive anti-U.S. sentiment among most Muslims – all of which jihadists exploit.

Benjamin states that “a new generation of terrorists is emerging with few ties to Al-Qaeda but a world-view soaked in Osama bin Laden’s hatred of the West, and new areas of the globe are increasingly falling under the shadow of this growing threat” (Benjamin, 2006). Iraq is the catalyst for this increase in individuals subscribing to a globalized idea of a struggle. He states that “The events of the last few years have helped the jihadist movement sign up recruits” (Benjamin, 2006).
The report notes that “threats, plots, and cells linked to the Iraq conflict have been uncovered in several regions of the world. A system of clandestine support networks funneled foreign terrorists to Iraq from the Middle East, Europe, North Africa, South and Central Asia, and the Caucasus.”
Foreign recruiting efforts have been successful as foreign fighters are believed to number up to ten percent of the estimated 20,000 insurgents (Country Reports on Terrorism, 2005).
The efficiency of al-Qaeda’s recruiting propaganda is evidenced by the increase in terrorist attacks within Iraq. In 2005, terror incidents in Iraq accounted for a third of all global incidents and more than half of terror-related deaths worldwide (Country Reports on Terrorism, 2005). Militants with a jihadist outlook number more than 15,000 (Benjamin, 2006). In addition, the occupation of Iraq is not only attracting recruits but also breeding leaders. “Fighters with experience in Iraq are a potential source of leadership for jihadists….”

Here is the big picture people:

“There is a concern that Iraq will become an exporter of seasoned terrorists, weapons and shared tactics….” (Perl, 2006).

And to conclude how about this:

“We are indeed in a battle for hearts and minds, and we are not winning” (Benjamin, 2006).

Basically, all of that was to say:
We are not safe, we’re sitting ducks
And our enemy cannot be defined or identified, our enemy continues to grow larger, stronger, and more lethal, our enemy disseminates his message to all corners of the world and ultimately our enemy is driven by our presence in Iraq

Which only leaves one more question,
Who exactly is responsible for our troops’ presence in Iraq?

So suck it Romney.