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Foreign policy makes a campaign comeback

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    A big week for Mitt Romney and the Obama administration

  • Duration 5:49
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Welcome back to The Journal Editorial Report coming up in this half hour the Supreme Court is back in session and it's promising to be another tumultuous term as a justices revisit.

The issue of racial preferences in college admissions and could it be.

A potential pick up for Republicans in the bluest of Blue States will have the latest on the senate race in Connecticut.

But first an update on the investigation of the last month's deadly attacks in -- -- Libya congressional hearings.

Are planned for next week.

-- members of the house oversight committee promising tough questions for the administration over allegations of lax security.

At the US council -- leading up to bat assault Republicans -- lights and Jason -- it sent a letter this week to secretary of state Hillary Clinton.

Claiming that quote.

Multiple US federal government officials have confirmed to the committee that prior.

To the September 11 attack the US mission in Libya made repeated requests for increased security in Benghazi.

The mission in Libya however was denied these resources by officials in Washington the FBI arrived -- -- -- Wednesday.

Three weeks after the attack but spent only about twelve hours there.

We're back with campaigning -- also joining the panel wall street journal editorial board member Matt Kaminsky and foreign affairs columnist -- statement so.

Brett foreign policy has that been said to be a big asset for President Obama.

In this election campaign is that -- eroding with the news in Libya and elsewhere in the Middle East.

Well I think it is and I think it ought to be eroding it's long past time that the president not get the credit that he he he claims to get for foreign policy achievements which.

Don't exist what happened in Libya -- mean no there's a lot of focus now on the kind of bureaucratic blunders that were made.

Both did prior especially prior to the attack and not.

Sufficiently securing our diplomatic facilities that are important issue is or not it's a bureaucratic issue and let's face it don't we don't we have to keep our -- diplomatic missions -- secure yes we do but it's not the largest issue I think I think he's congressman will be making -- -- will be making a mistake if they don't focus on the fact that this was president Obama's.

3 AM call the real blunder is what happened when -- knew that our facility was under attack.

They knew that our ambassador was missing.

And their instinct was let's do nothing let's ask for that you govern ourselves and why was that what does that instinct tell you about Obama foreign policy what could they have done.

Well we have -- naval base in Sicily 450 miles away OK we -- caught up supersonic jets to get over the site.

But what would it have been able to do on the ground what they -- -- what they could've done at least on the ground is have a show of force indicating that we were ready to prepare to deploy.

Force we had no idea whether this incident was gonna go on for two hours twelve hours 20/20 four to a 24 hours and if -- -- gonna save the guys on the ground you had to be there on the ground did you not did you have to be looked at the -- here but -- the -- here was.

That's not violate Libyan sovereignty.

Let's consult with our Libyan partners it wasn't we have Americans -- are in danger right now let's take every action available at our disposal at.

After the fact.

Then the incident -- let's let's agree essentially with a jihadist premise that all this is about this video.

And it's it wasn't a pre planned terrorist attack that's where the real fault of the administration.

You know the administration match.

As saying look you guys are politicizing this we had a letter from William Burns.

The leading State Department official who said that about our own editorial on this.

Is there a danger for the Republicans of appearing to politicize what is it what was a terrible setback for for the US State Department and US foreign policy.

I think so far they've been playing it pretty straight I like the administration mean estimates of -- through -- -- digging themselves into this mean they.

Took on the storyline it was the fault of the video the video again -- spontaneous combustion exactly and they stuck with it for far too long now it's very hard for them to -- well yes there -- security to sort of concerns.

Before the attack.

Yes they weren't sufficient.

Protection for this mission the day of nine elevenths anniversary of 9/11.

And afterwards.

Not coming forward with actually what they knew and -- people in the CIA and FBI are very unhappy about us.

And apparently they knew within 24 hours that it wasn't it jihadist possibly al-Qaeda -- group that was behind this.

And he didn't say so.

What about Turkey and Syria like shelling across the border Dan.

The Syrian uprising.

Now spilling over regionally we were told that if the US intervened.

We get a wider regional conflict we didn't intervene.

We have a wider regional conflict.

Right and it it I mean it is growing Turkey we don't know what exactly is gonna happen between Turkey and Syria.

But the Turks have made -- sort of official preparations to go deeper in to Syria if necessary.

And in the same time I think you've got the situation in Iraq where you have a lot more terrorist insurgent attacks take going on.

You have the radiance flying over Iraq because the Iraqis can't protect their airspace to deliver aid deliver aid them algerians.

So there is a lot shaking in the Middle East right now and it's a look and the president as -- suggesting.

Has been tried to keep all of this at arm's length during the election and that's not very presidential.

What would you like to hear from Romney in that speech that I think -- going to -- it.

-- -- a -- -- a vacuum that's been created in the Middle East American powers decline in this is what happens when America is not leading the world.

The Turks want America to be engaged they want American support they don't get it Hussein in Iraq Brett.

I want -- I want him to say friends come first and American foreign policy and we are not.

Going to favor the egyptians at the expense of the Israelis or the Russians at the expense of of of the polls or the Chinese at the expense of anyone else.

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