Undergirding Mitt Romney’s trip to Europe and Israel this week was a single concept: President Obama has weakened the view of America in the eyes of foreign leaders thanks to a policy of appeasement and “apology.” How the world views America is important, Romney said, and he’s going to see to it that America’s reputation overseas is bolstered on his watch.
Within 24 hours of Romney landing abroad, that premise had unraveled and Romney’s own top surrogates were scoffing at the notion that foreign opinions of America mattered at all to American voters.
Romney undermined his own message even before he left for London, when he told a fundraiser audience in San Francisco Sunday night that America was in decline, and that the foreign minister of Australia had told him so (the foreign minister denied he put it just that way).
“This idea of America in decline, it was interesting he said that, he led the talk of America being in decline,” Romney said about his conversation with the Australian official. “See that’s not talk we hear about here as much as they’re hearing there. And if they’re thinking about investing in America, entrepreneurs putting their future in America, if they think America’s in decline they’re not gonna do it.”
That’s Romney making it crystal clear that headlines overseas are pretty important here in the U.S. At his big VFW speech a couple days later, Romney attacked Obama relentlessly for wrecking America’s reputation overseas.
“Sadly, the president has dim inished American leadership,” Romney said in the speech. “If we don’t have the strength to lead, other powers will pull history in a different di rection.”
It’s similar to a line Romney has used often, attacking Obama for “apologizing” for America overseas. This idea of international perception of the U.S. is the linchpin to Romney’s foreign policy attacks.
Yet when his own trip went down in flames in the British press and among foreign politicians, one of his own top surrogates told reporters that what’s said overseas stays overseas.
“We’re not worried about overseas headlines. We’re worried about voters back here in America,” Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) said on a Romney campaign conference call Thursday, amid the thick of British attacks on Romney’s visit. “I think the focus needs to continue to be on what’s happening here at home. That’s what’s important to voters.”
