++Mitt Romney did a triple Dukakis with his London visit that was aimed to "restore our special relationship with England". At least he injected a moment of humor into a dull campaign. Cartoonists and comedians are still reaping the benefits from his gaffe-filled trip.
++ Romney's handlers blame his London performance on him not being fully briefed. How exotic is the United Kingdom for a two-time presidential candidate. The trip produced the Newsweek cover this week "Is Romney a Wimp?" and questions about his insecurity jeopardizing American foreign policy interests.
++Remember how the conservatives cheer the fact that the United States don't get the Olympics for Chicago? I guess turnabout is fair play. Prime Minister Cameron slapped down Romney's criticism of England's preparation by saying,"We have organized these Olympics in one of the busiest cities on the planet. It is easy to organize them in the middle of nowhere. " Whoosh went Romney's next qualification for President, his organization of the Salt Lake City Olympics.
++The Murdoch owned tabloids in the U.K. had a field day ripping Romney. Even Karl Rove and Charles Krauthammer went on television to pronounce Romney's first stop an utter disaster.
++Just a week before his trip, Romney ripped President Obama before the VFW for leaks injuring our national security. So he steps out of 10 Downing Street to talk about the subjects of his briefing by the head of British intelligence--a big protocol no-no.
++Since one reason the Romneys went to London was the competition of Ann's horse in the dressage competition, Mitt threw her and the horse under a double-decker bus by saying he didn't know when the horse's event was, that the horse was Ann's and he didn't know whether he would attend. The Romney camp actually had a media blackout on the horse's trainer and rider.
++London Mayor Boris Johnson used the Romney criticism of Britain's preparation for the Olympics as an excuse to reeve up a crowd of over 75,000 of sassing them if they were "Ready!"
++With the Libor scandal hanging over the British banks, Romney held a fund-raiser with the disgraced former head of Barclay's.
++An interesting coincidence was the fact that the journalist corps had reporters who had covered then candidate Obama's tour of Europe where he drew hundreds of thousands in Berlin. Needless to say the comparison was not flattering to the 65-year old Romney.
++The whole thing unravelled further when Romney's desire to secure the bust of Churchill for the White House got exposed. There are actually two busts of Churchill in the White House now and the bust loaned to George W wasn't returned by President Obama but moved to the residence.
++Observers shuddered about what gaffes Romney would make in Israel.
Would he order a ham sandwich on white with mayo?
Would he stand at the Wailing Wall and say to Bibi Netanyahu," Tear Down this Wall?"
Would he refuse to go to the memorial of the Holocaust victims and say, "I already baptized them all"?
Would he say that the lost tribes of Israel were the Americans Indians so that Sheldon Adelson could build Israeli settlements on the reservations?
Or would he try to make a deposit in the West Bank? (courtesy of Andy Borowitz)
++Instead, the Romney campaign cancelled a fund-raiser during a Jewish day of fasting,first denied press access and then allowed it for the rescheduled event. Against protocol,Romney didn't meet with the heads of the opposition parties like in the U.K. where he addressed Milliband as "Leader".
++The real good news is that Romney said the problems of the Arab Spring, which produced governments dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood would have been alleviated if the United States had followed Bush's "Freedom Agenda." I guess he meant the success with Hamas winning the Gaza elections and the rise of Maliki in Iraq. There is some dangerous ideas behind his statement.
++Romney didn't disappoint. He proclaimed that he supported the move of the Israeli capital to Jerusalem, something that will win the hearts and minds of all the Middle Eastern world, including sane Israelis. He supported an Israeli attack on Iran, which would have so many unintended consequences you can't imagine.
++But the President upstaged Romney before his visit by signing an United States-Israeli Security Pact and approving additional funds for the missile defense system we provided them. The Gallup poll has President Obama winning about 68% of the American Jewish vote and Romney 25%.
++But the point of Romney's trip is not to secure Jewish voters but the evangelical voter who is skeptical about his Mormonism and his belief in Israel as the promised land.
++Next stop will be Poland where he means to correct the snub of Lech Walesa by President Obama , who did to agree to meet separately with him. So with Lech standing next to him,will Romney said, "You should outsource the Gdansk Shipyard to keep labor costs down"? Or will he said to a crowd in Warsaw," Ich bein ein Berliner?" The comedy tour will continue.
++One question I have is what happens with Romney's investments in Iran. He has invested millions in Lukoil(Russia)'s investment in four oil fields and the Iranian State Oil company. Is he giving those up for an attack on the country?
++Does any of this matter? It does because it reveals that Romney basically has adopted W's foreign policy without the Africa Aids Progams. This would mean another lost decade for the United States. And will Rom net come clean about his intent for war with Iran and how will that play out.
++But Ed Rendell is probably right. It doesn't mean anything in terms of the election itself.
++This week President Obama hits the campaign trail again and I hope he puts some lift into his message. I think he needs it for the last 100 days.
++In some ways Romney escaped having questions asked about his taxes.
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