By Gary P Jackson
Let me start out by saying I really like Pamela Geller. She is good people. She is one of the leaders in fighting against radial Islam. However, here she is just wrong. At least about the facts from this 2007 video, when Romney was running for president :
It’s pretty easy to understand what Romney is saying here. He was asked about the efforts of George W Bush to eradicate AIDS in Africa. Bush spent more money fighting AIDS than any president. A noble effort. It also bought America a whole lot of good will in Africa.
The lady in the video asks if he would continue Bush’s support of humanitarian efforts around the world. During his answer Mitt mentions the fact that after elections in Lebanon, Hezbollah showed up with all kinds of aid. They built hospitals, gave people free health care and so on. Now OF COURSE this bought the terrorists a lot of good will.
Mitt didn’t praise Hezbollah, he simply used them as an example. Now if it had been me, I would have noted they were terrorists, and added one of the reasons the United States should be helping where it can, is to counterbalance groups like Hezbollah, who do offer people social services in many countries, in order to buy goodwill and support. But that’s just me.
If anything, Mitt is guilty of assuming his audience “got” what he meant, and we all know what happens when one assumes.
You can accuse Mitt of being inarticulate all day long. He is. Never seen a guy who was better at starting a good thought, but never finishing it, as Mitt Romney. But that’s his problem here, not that he’s supporting Hezbollah.
I’ve said over and over the last few months that I’m not a Mitt Romney fan, but I find myself defending him a lot lately over things like this, and Newt’s despicable ads in Florida claiming Mitt supports Castro.
Call Mitt dumb and I’ll stand with you. Call him inarticulate and I’ll stand with you. But don’t take things out of context.
All of these candidates for president are flawed. Flawed enough that one doesn’t have to do this sort of thing to hammer any of them. We shouldn’t do this to any candidate.
Pamela may be right about Romney and his overall cluelessness about radical Islam, but she’s off base with the video.
You get “A” for effort in defending Romney and, in effect, pointing out what SHOULD be obvious, but, of course, is not – namely, that he’s not really praising Hizbollah per se, but he IS praising H’s efforts in setting up health clinics, etc. – even if only for purely political purposes (as if they REALLY cared about taking care of people; they don’t give a rat’s behind when they cause enormous collateral damage engaging in war with Israel!).
So, you’re to be commended for countering this very damning video, but Mitt needs to be faulted Big Time for failing to add a very big “BUT” when uttering those words of praise!! And Pam Geller basically just criticized the end product. “Loose lips sink ships!!”
Yeah Mitt needs to learn how to articulate his thoughts better. It’s sad, really. Not sure how he made it in life being this inarticulate.
That said, I thought is was intellectually dishonest of Pamela to go the route she did. There are too many real things one can go after all of these candidates over, without creating controversies that don’t exist.
It seems cheap and petty.
Millions of legit ways to hammer Mitt, Newt, and the rest.
Gary, You talk about Newts ads. You know what I get about three of Romney ads a night and last night I recieved 3 within a half hour. The need to quit with the ads. Do you know a way you can stop them from calling. You seem to have a thing for Romney and you have it bad. It si a scary thing when someone believes in someone that much. That person could do wrong but no one wants to listen to reason. Isn’t that what happen in 2008 . I don’t think anyone will be lead so blindly this time.
Do you know a way to get them to stop with the robo call.
Robo calls will wear you out. That’s why I only have a cell phone!!
I don’t have a “thing” for Romney. I’m still quite sad Sarah Palin didn’t run. That said, people like Newt Gingrich and his minions have forced me to defend Mitt more than I would normally want to.
Newt is a con man and a liar. Always has been. This attack on Romney was despicable, but that’s what Newt is. He needs to be run out of politics forever.
I saw the clip. I am not stupid. Mitt Romney effectively praised Hezbollah. There is no way around this fact. There are plenty of other organizations, nation states or people that he could have held out as an example of a so-called “political” groups work on behalf of the people. Hezbollah is funded by Syria and Iran. Hezbollah is prepared, indeed, looking forward to destroying the State of Israel – eg killing Jews.
What was I to think after seeing Romney’s message? I was not a fan to begin with; today I am deeply concerned. He cannot endorse Hezbollah and claim allegiance to Israel. Will he continue Obama’s policy of public verbal assaults toward America’s “special friend”? I am concerned that he will.
Seriously? Anyone who can see what Romney actually said and think he’s endorsing Hezbollah has issues. He was making the case that if America doesn’t do these things, groups like Hezbollah will. The locals will support those who support them.
I’m not even a Romney supporter, but when I see silly crap like this I gotta speak up.