http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0912/81103.html?hp=l1
Hill GOP leaves Romney out on limb on Libya
Senior Republicans on Capitol Hill are leaving GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney out on a limb after he criticized President Barack Obamaâs âdisgracefulâ handling of the assault on the U.S. embassy in Libya, which led to the death of U.S. ambassador Chris Stevens.
Indiana Sen. Dick Lugar, the top Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee who personally knew Stevens, refused to assign any blame to the Obama administration.
âMy heart is with Mr. Stevens, my former staff member, my friend,â Lugar told POLITICO on Wednesday. As a Pearson Fellow to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Stevens served as a staffer for Lugar in 2006. Lugar helped shepherd Stevensâs nomination as ambassador through his panel earlier this year.
âIâm not going to make any comment about the political. None,â the senator added.
While Romney was very critical of Obama in a morning statement on the Libya attacks, senior Republicans across the board avoided criticizing the administration shortly after Stevensâ death was announced.
Obama didnât even get a mention in most GOP press statements blasted Wednesday morning.
âWe mourn for the families of our countrymen in Benghazi, and condemn this horrific attack,â House Speaker John Boehner said in a statement Wednesday.
âEleven years after September 11, this is a jolting reminder that freedom remains under siege by forces around the globe who relish violence over free expression, and terror over democracy â and that America and free people everywhere must remain vigilant in defense of our liberties.â
Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell also declined to invoke Obama, signaling that for a second day in a row this was a time for Americans to come together and put election-year politics on hold. On Tuesday, Republicans and Democrats gathered on the steps of the Capitol to mark the 11th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
âOur thoughts and sympathy today are with the families of these brave Americans,â McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said on the Senate floor. âThese attacks remind us of the sacrifices made on a daily basis by foreign service officers, diplomatic security personnel, and our Marine Security Guards.â
Three of the most important voices on foreign policy â Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) â said they were âanguished and outragedâ by the deaths of American diplomats, and considered Stevens a âfriend.â But they, too, didnât see fit to criticize the president the way Romney did.
Hill GOP leaves Romney out on limb on Libya
Senior Republicans on Capitol Hill are leaving GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney out on a limb after he criticized President Barack Obamaâs âdisgracefulâ handling of the assault on the U.S. embassy in Libya, which led to the death of U.S. ambassador Chris Stevens.
Indiana Sen. Dick Lugar, the top Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee who personally knew Stevens, refused to assign any blame to the Obama administration.
âMy heart is with Mr. Stevens, my former staff member, my friend,â Lugar told POLITICO on Wednesday. As a Pearson Fellow to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Stevens served as a staffer for Lugar in 2006. Lugar helped shepherd Stevensâs nomination as ambassador through his panel earlier this year.
âIâm not going to make any comment about the political. None,â the senator added.
While Romney was very critical of Obama in a morning statement on the Libya attacks, senior Republicans across the board avoided criticizing the administration shortly after Stevensâ death was announced.
Obama didnât even get a mention in most GOP press statements blasted Wednesday morning.
âWe mourn for the families of our countrymen in Benghazi, and condemn this horrific attack,â House Speaker John Boehner said in a statement Wednesday.
âEleven years after September 11, this is a jolting reminder that freedom remains under siege by forces around the globe who relish violence over free expression, and terror over democracy â and that America and free people everywhere must remain vigilant in defense of our liberties.â
Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell also declined to invoke Obama, signaling that for a second day in a row this was a time for Americans to come together and put election-year politics on hold. On Tuesday, Republicans and Democrats gathered on the steps of the Capitol to mark the 11th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
âOur thoughts and sympathy today are with the families of these brave Americans,â McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said on the Senate floor. âThese attacks remind us of the sacrifices made on a daily basis by foreign service officers, diplomatic security personnel, and our Marine Security Guards.â
Three of the most important voices on foreign policy â Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) â said they were âanguished and outragedâ by the deaths of American diplomats, and considered Stevens a âfriend.â But they, too, didnât see fit to criticize the president the way Romney did.
