Thursday, February 7, 2008

Mitt Romney on Defense

M.Romano P.3


"In the previous global wars, there were many ways to lose, and victory was far from guaranteed. In the current conflict, there is only one way to lose, and that is if we as a civilization decide not to lift a finger to defend ourselves, our values, and our way of life." -Mitt Romney


Willard “Mitt” Romney is a former U.S. Republican candidate for President in the current 2008 election. Romney is the son of a former U.S. Presidential candidate, George W. Romney, so politics have always played a major role in his life and interested him. As a young adult, Romney attended Brigham Young University, Stanford University (for a short while), and Harvard Business School. He is an active member of the Mormon community and remains very outspoken regarding the way his religion coexists with his political views. In his “Faith in America” speech, Romney appeals to the American people by using morals and emotional appeal. The main point of his speech was to show Americans that he is a regular person and should not be judged solely on his religious preferences. He compares himself to John F. Kennedy who also faced prejudice because he was Catholic. Romney is additionally an experienced businessman and was the governor of Massachusetts from 2003-2007. In 1984 Romney co-founded Bain Capitol, an investment firm where he first came into the business world. In 2002 he was the president and CEO of the Salt Lake City Olympic Games Organizing Committee in which he gained a large amount of financial profit. In 1969, Romney was eligible for the draft during the Vietnam War in which he did not serve. Later, he regretted his decision to refrain from entering the military, which was also the reason for many of his ideas and views.


On the faltering issue of U.S. defense and military, Romney believes in adding 100,000 troops and increasing spending in military affairs. He also strongly supports the idea that people in middle eastern countries (especially Muslim areas) need to be befriended in order to defeat their fascist and tyrannical political leaders . Romney confirms that allies are greatly needed from other nations as well so they will hopefully aid the American cause. He argues that, “To win the war on jihad, we have to not only have a strong military of our own--and we need a stronger military--we also need to have strong friends around the world and help moderate Muslims reject the extreme. Because ultimately the only people who can finally defeat these radical Islamic jihadists are the Muslims themselves.” In other words, if Romney did win the presidency, the war in Iraq would have continued for who knows how long because he wants to keep fighting them and eventually win using his techniques instead of bringing the soldiers home and ending this painfully-expensive war.


As well as greatly enlarging the number of active military troops, Romney wants to up the federal budget on national security which means adding an additional 30 to 40 billion dollars that the country does not have. America has already spent trillions of dollars on the war and cannot afford to waste any more for the sake of its well-being. The fact that Romney supports strengthening the military and continuing the war is a big turn-off to many potential voters, and this is probably part of the reason that Romney is now officially out of the presidential campaign. “A strong America secures a safe world,” boasts Romney, who clearly illustrates that the United States is in international control. With America in complete command of the theoretical “world ship,” Romney believes that rest of the world will be better off. To create a “strong America,” an even stronger military influence will be required, according to Romney.


Guantanamo Bay detention camp is an area in Cuba set up for the incarceration of people suspected of terrorism against the U.S. It was set up after September 11, 2001 in order to boost national security and put convicted terrorists behind bars. Mitt Romney has shared with the American people his desire to “double Guantanamo.” By so-called “doubling” Guantanamo, Romney believes that it will make it more difficult for prisoners to seek the much-needed assistance from allies. “I am glad [detainees] are at Guantanamo. I don’t want them on our soil. I want them on Guantanamo, where they don’t get the access to lawyers they get when they’re on our soil. I don’t want them in our prisons, I want them there. Some people have said we ought to close Guantanamo. My view is we ought to double Guantanamo.” By keeping detainees at Guantanamo, and therefore out of America, the government can ensure that these “terrorists” are not a direct threat to our nation. The farther away they are kept, the better off everyone is.



Sources:



"2008 Presidential Candidates, Mitt Romney on the Issues." On the Issues. 5 Feb. 2008 http://ontheissues.org/Mitt_Romney.htm.



"Mitt Romney." 4 Feb. 2008. 4 Feb. 2008 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitt_romney.



Helman, Scott. "Romney Urges More Be Spent on Defense and Energy Research." 11 Apr. 2007. The Boston Globe. 7 Feb. 2008 http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/04/11/romney_urges_more_be_spent_on_defense_and_energy_research/.



"Excerpts of Governor Romney's "Faith in America" Address." 6 Dec. 2007. 6 Feb. 2008 .


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