Romney Seeks 'Back Door' to the White House (Le Figaro, France)

"Every time Romney has had to deal with opposition, he has shrunk away and denied his own convictions to placate whoever was in front of him - like a little boy who just wants to please. This isn't exactly a demonstration of the strength of character expected from the occupant of the White House."

By Jean-Sébastien Stehli

Translated By Katia Mohandi

August 1, 2012

France - Le Figaro - Original Article (French)

That is the questions Newsweek Magazine asks on the cover of its August 6th edition: The Wimp Factor (Wimp = a weak, ineffectual person). And as the article itself puts it, “a mouse at the White House,” which is to say that he's small. When the magazine's 2.7 million weekly subscribers (4 million if we include its international version) read the damming article, Romney will be stooping in Jerusalem to meet his former colleague at Bain, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It is a low cost means of boosting his image and attracting Jewish votes back home.

Romney has said that by all means possible, Israel must stop Iran from having a nuclear weapon. “Preventing Iran from having the lethal weapon should be the absolute priority of the United States,” he explained, before committing yet another diplomatic faux pas by saying that cultural differences explain the disparity of living standards between Israel and the Palestinians - paying no mind to the restrictions suffered by the inhabitants the West bank and Gaza. But before two dozen campaigns contributors, there was no reason to avoid a bit of demagoguery.

Posted by Worldmeets.US

Romney might like to star in a remake of Triumph of the Will, but in the United States he fools no one. His timidity and gawkiness suggest a candidate who is uncomfortable in his role as a presidential candidate. Even the photo of Romney riding a Jet Ski is instructive: It is Anne at the controls. Mitt is the passenger.

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During two presidential campaigns now, Romney hasn’t taken a single position at variance with his electorate. Worse, he is known to have taken a U-turn on almost every issue: abortion, his prior support for Planned Parenthood, arms control, tax increases, immigration, gays in the military, and above all, health. Every time Romney has had to deal with opposition, he has shrunk away and denied his own convictions to placate whoever was in front of him - like a little boy who just wants to please. This isn't exactly a demonstration of the strength of character expected from the occupant of the White House. Michael Tomasky in Newsweek mocks Romney for wanting to be compared to Ronald Reagan. “Please. You would no more cast Romney as Reagan than you would Pee-wee Herman as James Bond.

The electorate votes for candidates who, during the campaign, have triumphed over the trials they have had to face. But Romney wants to enter the White House by the back door. And it is not at all certain that in 100 days, he will find that door open.

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