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Romney campaign reacts to president's UN address

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    Senior adviser Dan Senor weighs in

  • Duration 5:53
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The morning remarks adding to the debate about President Obama describing the crisis in the Middle East as quote bumps in the road on his middle east policy.

The Romney campaign said it has hit hard at the president for that comment we brought you -- Mitt Romney's response yesterday life.

Here now with reaction to today's big speech.

Senior advisor to the Romney campaign -- seeing our Dan welcome to be with you.

So now so even in the mainstream press who are intended be more supportive of the president had been making an issue of that comment bumps in the road saying if Mitt Romney had said that.

It would have dominated the news coverage for a week.

Isn't a big deal.

Sure there's a tendency to Q&A couple weeks ago three weeks ago the the president and his campaign wanted to talk.

Seemingly exclusively about foreign policy they believe that this was a -- major trump card and we were happy that have a debate about foreign policy.

Needless to say in the last couple of weeks they are more see more inclined to just play things down generally on developments -- on the world and that's.

Note that most Americans are turning on the televisions Megan.

They're sensing sort of unraveling abroad you know embassies under siege American officials being attacked killed in some cases tragically.

The -- closer to a nuclear bomb Syria up in flames tens of thousands of Syrians dead.

Increasing tension between the US government and the government in Israel see Pacific to step back and you look -- you think things these aren't just bumps in the road it's a big stuff.

Had a -- is you're somebody who actually knows it -- spent a lot of time in that region.

A lot of time our generation -- you know it.

Greg -- -- joke on our hair which was kind of on point he said you know they're out they're chanting death to American burning American flags which means it's Thursday.

You know it's not something that we've never seen before China are are you seeing what you see is covered -- see what's happening -- to cities do you believe it's something different then you've seen in the past.

Two things first.

When president came to office he made the case that he was gonna reach out to various countries -- -- that the Arab Muslim world.

-- leaders political civil civil society leaders and that his biography its charm his outreach his outstretched hand would be enough.

To cool tensions in many of these places that we live along -- on his inauguration that we've seen some progress in that department so that hasn't happened and what -- what has happened.

Is by eight.

Taking actions like dramatic cuts toward defense budget by eight.

-- -- some daylight between the United States and Israel traditional allies his words -- soon after came to office the presence that I'm gonna put daylight.

Between the US and Israel because the close proximity between our two governments has hurt our efforts in the region.

He chose to give the -- speech in Cairo about this you know this big -- who's gonna do wouldn't travel to Cairo and Riyadh in Istanbul didn't travel to Israel so right.

By these big cuts in our military capabilities.

Distancing ourselves with their traditional allies I do think there's a sense out in the region.

That we are dealing with them they are dealing with a more reticent America.

America that maybe is not.

He's staying true to this consistent bipartisan.

That consensus on foreign policy that it has existed for for decades -- that bipartisan consensus may be fraying the -- stands outside the bipartisan consensus.

And I do think that is something that extremists will seize upon to do I think there -- but problems Middle East appreciated -- Obama of course and we -- events of the last few weeks of course.

I do think things are worse than they were when he came to office I do think there's this sense of an unraveling -- The president says OK if that's the case it's because.

Progress changes he would put it.

Takes time and he says look we've sort of supported this Arab Spring to some extent and right now there's a vacuum of power in some of these countries that the extremists are taking advantage of that's not a reason to abandon our policy -- it until the viewers.

On that point the mother of one of those Navy SEALs who was killed in Libya Barbara Doherty we showed her picture to you -- 45 came out.

And reportedly gave an interview which she said she agreed that this is these are bumps and approaches to these folks are living under or dictatorships.

They're angry therefore it is a little bump in the road they are making progress you can expect it to happen in one night.

I think that it's now.

It's it's it's you need to be careful about not just.

And beat them blanket summary -- of -- sweeping judgment of everything that's happening putting putting all these events and to sort of want a -- -- has got to step -- you -- -- country -- country.

And look is because there's different dynamics going on in different places in Syria it's been like almost a year that the presence of a -- Moscow.

-- -- still -- power tens of thousands of Syrians are dead.

It's Iran's closest ally the -- -- -- would be strategic blow to Tehran besides -- -- Iran is far closer getting nuclear weapon.

That it was in the president took office.

Tensions between the United States and Israel.

Are worse than they've been for this is this as long as I've been following -- -- relations.

And then there's this pummeled in the in a number of capitals in the Arab world so you you you you can't just.

Dismiss all that there's something going.

And I think each of these places deserve their own policy and to accept some circumstances are unique.

But there are some.

Sort of big picture messages that ticker coming out of Washington that aren't healthy that there is this sense that America tried this strategy.

Of reaching out to the some of our adversaries without preconditions to giving the outstretched hand to the charm of the biography that president.

And that that hasn't worked in the fact that it hasn't worked in the fact that things -- broken down I think that actors in the world are seizing upon that shrinking US leadership in the world.

-- -- -- very quick answer on this but gonna talk about 230 the fact that -- about that meeting with -- world leaders it's the first time -- happened in two decades by US president.

Your -- I think it's a -- missed opportunity I think at a time that the that the world is so unsettled.

It is the exact time to present United States should not only be receiving invitations from world leaders but demanding them and the fact that he chose not to -- is a sad statement about.

About his leadership right now.

Dan thanks for being here to do with the all of us.

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