Expect a lot more of "He said WHAT"

[OmahaBlueDog]

My take: Rmoney knew exactly what he was saying, and doesn't care. Here's the political calculus:

1) A Middle Eastern attack against the US, coming so close to 9-11, is bound to stir up support for attacks by the US that he supports in Iran and Syria.

2) By throwing a verbal bomb accusing the President of being sympathetic to the attackers, he fires up that segment of his voting base that think Barack Obama is a Muslim. Meanwhile, he figures that the people who become incensed/enraged by this comment aren't voting for him anyway, so who cares.

3) As long as FAUX isn't the one doing the attacking, Rmoney couldn't care less what the media says or thinks.

It's the Rove/Limbaugh school of political discourse.

The President has been smart. He hasn't gotten lured into a verbal pissing match with Rmoney. However, Rmoney will keep making comments along this line (IMO) in order to attempt to put the President on the defensive. I suspect he will fail.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

1. Romney is a rookie - he has not clue about foreign policy

twit

[OmahaBlueDog]

2. He's a twit, but a twit who realizes that his voters only support one Middle East policy - War.

Other than that, I agree -- he's proven inept in even the most friendly of foreign settings.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

4. yes, inept

[BlueStreak]

7. But that's why he is a twit. It isn't "his" voters he needs

He's already got basically 100% of the fanatics. He's losing everybody else. Going harder after the insane ones that he already has makes no sense on any level.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

11. yes

[OmahaBlueDog]

13. He needs his voters to actually show up and vote

That's the real challenge this election. Most voters have an opinion one way or the other, but many voters on both sides aren't motivated. Prior to the DNC, that was a bigger problem for us, but recent polls have shown enthsiasm on the conservative side is dropping.

[liberal N proud]

5. He is not practicing foreign policy.

He is playing ugly politics.

He is calculating that the right pulls in behind him because they all hate Obama.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

6. He's new what does he know

nothing

[Rosa Luxemburg]

15. Romney is not worthy of the presidency

[ncgrits]

3. I'm just not sure that I buy that he's that savvy. . . .

I think he's been so entitled for so long that he honestly doesn't get that he is a total ass.

I'm sure you are absolutely right about his not caring what anybody thinks. But I don't think it's a conscious decision on his part. I think he's just sick that way. The smug smirk on his face after that "press conference" said it all to me. He actually thought he hit it out of the park, when every sane person in the room (and on the planet) thought just the opposite. He's certain that he's right all the time.

I don't know. I've never seen anything quite like it before (thank God).

[BlueStreak]

10. I have.

I used to have quite a few business connections with people who were not at Romney's level but certainly in the 1%. Almost all of them had this same kind of arrogance about them. "Air of entitlement" really is the right set of words to capture that. They are completely oblivious to how other saw them, mainly because they put themselves in protected gated communities, saw their country club as the center of their social life, and couldn't stand to be in the company of anybody who was not just like them.

There certainly are many rich people who are not this way -- people who still can relate to the other 99%. But most of them are like Romney, I'd say, even if he is an extreme case.

[Indpndnt]

8. Not exactly.

Some of the people who became incensed/enraged by this comment may have been making up their minds about their votes. I think Willard just threw them firmly into the president's camp with his lunacy.

[sad sally]

9. He's obviously not following the (religious) doctrines of his belief system...

“Since those who battle for a righteous cause will not be held responsible for bloodshed, the responsibility rests upon those leaders who create contention and cause wars.” (Statements of the LDS First Presidency, pg 480.)

[rustydog]

12. Just before his remarks were sent out to the media, Reince Preibus (old english for asshole)

sent out a tweet saying basically the same thing...wow, a coordinated classless attack? this proves they're two class-less, soul-less assholes. Truly, these two speak for the Republican party.

[justiceischeap]

14. But where this does hurt him is the undecided vote

The base is going to vote for him, he doesn't need to pander to them. It's the independents/undecided's he's got to win over and I don't think he's doing a very good job of it. The savvy voters that are independent are going to look at his comments on Libya and quickly make a decision and it won't be in his favor.