Steve Benen: When it comes to policy, I think Mitt Romney’s biggest problem is his atrocious record on jobs. But a close second are his bizarre struggles with foreign policy.
Take this one from earlier today: “Mitt Romney talked this morning at a Town Hall in Wolfesboro, N.H. about the U.S. military action in Libya…. It’s not clear what the questioner asked, but Romney clearly refers to congressional approval of the U.S. action in Libya, which did not happen.”
Now, the fact that Romney is confused about congressional approval of the mission in Libya isn’t, by itself, a big deal. The former governor probably just got confused …. The larger problem, though, is that these foreign policy errors keep happening.
Romney recently described current conditions as “peacetime,” despite the wars. Last year, Romney tried to trash the New START nuclear treaty in an op-ed, prompting Fred Kaplan to respond, “In 35 years of following debates over nuclear arms control, I have never seen anything quite as shabby, misleading and — let’s not mince words — thoroughly ignorant as Mitt Romney’s attack on the New START treaty.”
…. In all likelihood, the economy will dominate the 2012 election, and Romney can largely get away with foreign policy and national security ignorance, since voters’ attention will be elsewhere. But for those who care about the issue, it’s discouraging that Romney has been running for president pretty much non-stop for more than four years, and he still can’t keep these details straight.
White House.gov