US Senator Mitt Romney Says NATO Should Engage Against Russia If Putin Uses Nuclear Weapons In Ukraine

US Senator Mitt Romney  

Insider: Sen. Mitt Romney suggests 'NATO could engage' in Ukraine, 'potentially obliterating Russia's struggling military' if Putin used nuclear weapons 

* Sen. Mitt Romney warned a "cornered and delusional" Putin could use nuclear weapons. 

* In a New York Times op-ed, Romney suggested strategies to face Putin in such a scenario. 

* Romney said continued support of Ukraine was necessary to avoid the subjugation of other countries. 

Republican Sen. Mitt Romney suggested in a New York Times essay that "NATO could engage" in Ukraine, "potentially obliterating Russia's struggling military" as an option against Russian President Vladimir Putin were he to deploy nuclear weapons. 

The Utah senator also suggested that the West confront China and other Russian-allied nations with an ultimatum. 

"You are either with us, or you are with Russia — you cannot be with both," Romney wrote. 

"Russia's use of a nuclear weapon would unarguably be a redefining, reorienting geopolitical event," Romney continued. "Any nation that chose to retain ties with Russia after such an outrage would itself also become a global pariah."  

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Update #1: Putin's 'Illogical' Acts Show Need to Prepare for Nuclear Strike: Romney (Newsweek)  

Update #2: Mitt Romney calls on NATO to prepare for potential Russian nukes (NYPost)  

WNU Editor: US Senator Mitt Romney's essay is here .... We Must Prepare for Putin’s Worst Weapons. 

Former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mike Mullen is saying the same thing .... Mullen says US should consider the possibility of Russia using a nuclear weapon (The Hill). More here .... Putin Using Nuclear Weapons a Possibility U.S. Must Consider: Mullen (Newsweek).

President Trump Responds To U.S. Senator Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney never knew how to win. He is a pompous “ass” who has been fighting me from the beginning, except when he begged me for my endorsement for his Senate run (I gave it to him), and when he begged me to be Secretary of State (I didn’t give it to him). He is so bad for R’s!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 5, 2019

Somebody please wake up Mitt Romney and tell him that my conversation with the Ukrainian President was a congenial and very appropriate one, and my statement on China pertained to corruption, not politics. If Mitt worked this hard on Obama, he could have won. Sadly, he choked!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 5, 2019

Daily Mail: 'He's a pompous a**!' Trump fires back at 'choker' Mitt Romney after Republican senator broke ranks to criticize President's 'wrong and appalling' appeal to Ukraine and China to investigate Bidens

* Trump blasted Romney in tweets on Saturday morning from Washington DC
* Defended his remarks calling for China and Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden
* Romney had denounced Trump's remarks in a pair of tweets on Friday
* Trump said Romney 'begged me for my endorsement for his Senate run'
* President also lashed out at House Dems and media in Saturday morning tweets
* Said impeachment probe is 'a fraud against the American people!'
* 'The Media is “Fixed” and Corrupt. It bears no relationship to the truth,' he added
* Impeachment probe reached the White House Friday with subpoena of Pence
* Ukraine's chief prosecutor says he'll reopen cases including one tied to Biden

President Donald Trump has fired back at Senator Mitt Romney, after the Republican senator broke ranks to harshly criticize Trump over his requests that foreign governments investigate political rival Joe Biden.

'Somebody please wake up Mitt Romney and tell him that my conversation with the Ukrainian President was a congenial and very appropriate one, and my statement on China pertained to corruption, not politics,' Trump wrote on Saturday morning, as his motorcade traveled from the White House to Trump National Golf Course in Sterling, Virginia.

'If Mitt worked this hard on Obama, he could have won. Sadly, he choked!' Trump wrote.

Read more ....

Update #1: Trump scolds Romney over criticism about Trump’s China words (AP)
Update #2: Trump calls for Romney's impeachment (The Hill)

WNU editor: So what is Sen. Mitt Romney's next move? Is it this .... Romney ramps up rhetoric on Trump, but what’s his next move? (Londsay Whitehurst, AP). There are also  reports that he told Speaker Nancy Pelosi that there are enough Republican support for the impeachment of President Trump. Is he thinking of another run for the Presidency?

Update #3: Analysis true .... Romney Republicanism could never win (Daniel McCarthy, Spectator)

Update #4: Harsh but fair ....

U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney Says President Trump's Calling On China And Ukraine To Investigate Joe Biden Is 'Wrong And Appalling'

By all appearances, the President’s brazen and unprecedented appeal to China and to Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden is wrong and appalling.

— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) October 4, 2019

Politico: Romney calls Trump's push for foreign dirt 'wrong and appalling'

The Utah senator calls Trump's request "brazen and unprecedented."

Sen. Mitt Romney on Friday denounced Donald Trump for calling on China and Ukraine to investigate 2020 political rival Joe Biden, saying the president’s request is “wrong and appalling.”

The Utah Republican’s statement marks the strongest condemnation of the president from any Republican senator. Most members of the GOP have responded to the president’s China request with silence.

In a tweet, Romney said that “by all appearances, the President’s brazen and unprecedented appeal to China and to Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden is wrong and appalling.”

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Update #1: Romney: Trump requesting Biden investigation from China, Ukraine 'wrong and appalling' (The Hill)
Update #2: Trump pushing nations for Biden probe is 'wrong and appalling': Romney (Reuters)

WNU Editor:  I could be wrong, but it looks like Sen. Mitt Romney is plotting a primary challenge to President Trump.

Update #3: Hmmmm .... Mitt Romney's Revenge: Working to Impeach Donald Trump? (National Interest).

Having Dinner With The President-Elect

Daily Mail: All is forgiven? Trump and Romney have a 'warm' discussion as they dine on frog legs at three-Michelin star restaurant in New York amid rumors Mitt will be named secretary of state

* Trump is giving Romney a second look for secretary of state before he makes an appointment to the high-profile cabinet position
* He met with Romney and Reince Priebus for dinner at Jean-Georges, a French eatery near Central Park on Tuesday night
* CNN's Jim Acosta was in the restaurant and said the men were 'talking warmly but were very animated during their discussion'
* Trump interviewed Tennessee lawmaker Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee, this afternoon
* Yesterday Trump met with former CIA Director David Petraeus; Rudy Giuliani is still in the running, too

President-elect Donald Trump met with Mitt Romney and Reince Priebus for dinner in New York City as the incoming commander-in-chief decides who will become his secretary of state.

This is the second time Romney and Trump have met since the election. Trump has been considering Romney for the prominent spot in his cabinet despite the former Massachusetts governor being one of Trump’s biggest critics in the GOP.

The three men arrived at Jean-Georges, a French eatery near Central Park, around 7.30pm on Tuesday.

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Update #1: Romney gushes over Trump after posh dinner (Politico)
Update #2: Mitt Romney’s stunning 180 on Donald Trump (Aaron Blake, Washington Post)

WNU Editor: I see a lot of sucking up from Mitt Romney in this video. As to why is President-Elect Donald Trump even bothering with him .... this may explain it .... Why Trump is courting Romney for the State Department (Thomas Lifson, American Thinker).

Top President-Elect Aide Unloads On The Possibilitly Of Mitt Romney Being Appointed As U.S. Secretary of State

Politico: Conway unloads on Romney

Appointing Mitt Romney as Secretary of State would be viewed as a major betrayal by many supporters of President-elect Donald Trump, former Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway told CNN on Sunday.

“It’s just breathtaking in scope and intensity,” Conway said of the opposition to Romney among Trump supporters.

“Receiving deluge of social media & private comms re: Romney Some Trump loyalists warn against Romney as sec of state,” Conway wrote on Twitter on Thursday, linking to a POLITICO article about opposition to Romney.

“I felt compelled to come forward on behalf of the people who were weighing in,” Conway said of that tweet.

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Update #1: Conway: Trump backers feel 'betrayed' by Romney consideration (CNN)
Update #2: Kellyanne Conway remarks point to split in Trump camp over Mitt Romney (The Guardian)

WNU Editor: I read both "conservative" and "liberal blogs" for War News Updates .... and I can vouch that there is zero support for the appointment of Mitt Romney as Secretary of State in the conservative blogosphere or in their social media forums .... and in the liberal blogosphere they do not care. So who is pushing Mitt Romney to be U.S. Secretary of State .... my guess it is the Republican political establishment, and their supporters in conservative media. As to the bigger question .... will President-elect Trump appoint Mitt Romney to be his Secretary of State? Judging on how critical former Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway has been on talk of a Mitt Romney appointment .... my guess is that he is being seriously considered, and Kellyanne Conway is now going public to voice her displeasure.

Mitt Romney is Still The Rumoured Number One Choice For U.S. Secretary of State

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump shakes hands with former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney after their meeting at the main clubhouse at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, U.S., November 19, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Segar

Wall Street Journal: Mitt Romney Leads Donald Trump’s Picks for Secretary of State

President-elect leans toward the former governor but advisers’ tug of war delays decision.

President-elect Donald Trump is leaning toward asking former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney to be his secretary of state, according to people familiar with the deliberations.

The next U.S. president is also likely to name retired Marine Gen. James Mattis to serve as secretary of defense in his administration, and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley was picked to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, two people familiar with the matter said, awarding the rising Republican star with a key diplomatic post. And former presidential rival Ben Carson has been asked to consider leading the Department of Housing and Urban Development, according to Carson spokesman Armstrong Williams.

Delaying Mr. Trump’s decision about secretary of state is an internal tug of war between supporters of Mr. Romney, and those urging the selection of former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. A third group is pressing the president-elect to keep searching for candidates.

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WNU Editor: I will be surprised if he still chooses Mitt Romney for Secretary of State .... but then again .... I never expected him to give South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley the post of U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations .... Gov. Nikki Haley Accepts Trump Offer to Be Ambassador to United Nations: Source (NBC). As for former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani (who will be working in the Trump administration) .... I am reading more and more reports that he will be the next National Director of Intelligence .... Conway: Giuliani 'possibly' tapped for national intelligence director (Politico).

When A Presidential Candidate Meets A US Navy SEAL

Glen Doherty, a former U.S. Navy SEAL, was among four Americans killed in an attack on a diplomatic mission in Benghazi Libya on Sept. 11, 2012. (Courtesy Doherty Family)

Romney Met Former Navy SEAL Killed In Benghazi Attack -- The Ticket/Yahoo News

VAN METER, Iowa—For weeks, Mitt Romney has hammered President Barack Obama's response to the deadly attacks on the United States consulate in Benghazi, Libya, which claimed the lives of four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens.

But what Romney has never said on the campaign stump until today is that he had previously met one of the victims: Glen Doherty, a former Navy SEAL who was working as a State Department contractor in Libya.

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My Comment: Talk about living in a small world.

Can The Pentagon Deliver Mitt Romney's Foreign Policy And National Security Goals

Pentagon Implications As Romney Argues Middle East No Better Than Four Years Ago -- Kevin Baron, E-Ring/Foreign Policy

Mitt Romney, with the presidential election entering the home stretch, delivered a heavily-promoted foreign policy address in which he called for a larger military that is more robustly deployed in the Middle East and more aggressively postured to check Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Romney slammed President Obama’s Middle East policies on Monday as passively indifferent to the people fighting for democracy, showing no American leadership, and missing an historic opportunity to influence and win friends in the region.

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My Comment: His policies and goals will be very expensive to achieve .... and in a fiscal world of trillion dollar deficits and an American public that has grown tired and weary of being involved in international conflicts .... I have some serious doubts that he and the Pentagon will be able to deliver.

U.S. Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney Outlines His Foreign Policy And National Security Goals

Romney Slams Obama Foreign Policy: ‘Hope Is Not A Strategy’ -- The Ticket

LEXINGTON, Va.—Looking to bolster his foreign policy credentials in the final weeks before Election Day, Mitt Romney accused President Barack Obama of "passive leadership" in the Middle East and linked last month's deadly attack on the United States Consulate in Libya to a larger critique of what he described as Obama's failed leadership overseas. "Hope is not a strategy," Romney argued in a Monday morning address at the Virginia Military Institute.

Read more ....

More News On U.S. Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney Outlining His Foreign Policy And National Security Goals

Mitt Romney’s foreign policy speech (full text, video) -- Politico

Romney offers sweeping critique of Obama foreign policy -- Reuters
Mitt Romney: US foreign policy 'must change course' -- BBC
Romney calls for strong U.S. role in world affairs -- CNN
Romney sees retreat in Obama’s foreign policy -- Washington Times
Romney Criticizes Obama's Foreign Policy Approach -- Wall Street Journal
Romney Says It’s ‘Time to Change Course’ in Mideast -- ABC News
Romney: Risk of conflict higher in Mideast after Obama policies -- NBC
Romney Attacks Obama's Middle East Policy -- Voice of America
Romney says Obama's 'passivity' has made Middle East less secure -- L.A. Times
Romney talks tough and accuses Obama of failing to lead on Middle East -- The Guardian
Romney calls for arming Syrian opposition, as part of Middle East course change -- FOX News
We'll arm the Syrian rebels – but only those who share our values' -- The Guardian
Mitt Romney Wants To Arm The Syrian Rebels -- Business Insider/The Guardian
Romney Says White House Botched Response to Benghazi Attack -- New York Times
Romney proposes new sanctions on Iran, new help for Syrian rebels -- CBS

Analysis: What does Mitt Romney believe on foreign policy? -- CBS
Experts pan Romney foreign policy speech -- Josh Gerstein, Politico
Obama and Romney: different rhetoric but foreign policies are the same -- Julian Borger, The Guardian
Romney on foreign policy: view from Israel and the Palestinian territories -- Harriet Sherwood, The Guardian
How different are Romney and Obama's foreign policies, really? -- CNN
Would Mitt Romney make the world a better place? -- Mark Mardell, BBC

My Comment: What is my take on this speech .... every Democrat/Republican President (with the exception of this one)  throughout American history has always given this type of speech. As for the content .... some parts I agree .... some I do not .... but even though I am rarely in favor of US intervention and involvement in the world trouble spots, it is still refreshing to hear a President talk about American exceptionalism and idealism on foreign and international affairs. In the end .... if this speech will help to spur a debate on foreign policy and national security issues that will give  the American electorate a clear choice on who to choose in November .... I will then call it a success

Mitt Romney‘s National Security Transition Team Is Now In Place

During the debate, Mitt Romney kept his focus on jobs. Reuters

Romney National Security Transition Team Takes Shape -- Josh Rogin, the Cable/Foreign Policy

The top echelon of Mitt Romney‘s national security transition team is largely in place and it includes both hawkish and centrist GOP foreign-policy professionals, The Cable has learned.

The news comes as debate continues inside the Romney campaign over how much to focus on foreign vs. domestic policy in the home stretch. Politico reported last week that chief strategist Stuart Stevens was leading the camp pushing for a more singular focus on the economy.

But with the final presidential debate set to focus on foreign policy and events in the Middle East continuing to raise questions about President Barack Obama's leadership, those advocating for more foreign policy campaigning have won a victory: Romney will give what the campaign is billing as a major speech on foreign policy at the Virginia Military Institute on Monday, Oct. 8.

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My Comment: There is not much information to go on right now .... Mitt Romney is focusing on domestic issues while minimizing national security and foreign policy issues. I think this is a mistake .... but .... there is still one more month before the Presidential election.

Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney To Announce His VP Pick On Saturday, 9:00 EST

Photo: US Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney Announces VP Pick Saturday In Virginia. Rubio Or Ryan? -- Miami Herald

Mitt Romney is going to announce his vice presidential pick tomorrow. The short list is long (and unknown, really, to many of us), but allies of Sen. Marco Rubio think it's down to the Florida Senator and Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan.

Of course, it could be neither of them.

There's Tim Pawlenty (boring), and Ohio Sen. Rob Portman (boring, with a dash of Bush-era budgeting to go with it). Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is a wild card, but way more exciting.

The press release:

Boston, MA – On Saturday, Mitt Romney will begin his “The Romney Plan For A Stronger Middle Class” bus tour by announcing his choice for Vice Presidential candidate in Norfolk, Virginia. The following events are open to the press. Please note that the tour of the USS Wisconsin and Homemades by Suzanne drop by are pool coverage.

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My Comment: Sending the press release late Friday night .... hmmmm ..... OK .... but it is not the method that I would use to get the most publicity. But even with this late news announcement, his timing is a surprise .... he is picking his VP pick a month earlier than usual.

As to what is my take on who should he choose .... my hope is either Sen. Marco Rubio or Paul Ryan .... they are focused on the important domestic issues, and anyone else will just not excite the voters in the Republican base or in the independents that Romney will need to win in November. But .... I expect Mitt Romney to behave like Mitt Romney .... in short .... expect his selection to be someone who is boring, and like Mitt Romney not crystal clear in expressing his position on important policy issues..

Then again .... I can be completely wrong .... we shall know tomorow.

What Is Romney's Afghanistan Policy?

Mitt Romney at 2012 CPAC. Wikimedia

Top Senators Can't Explain Romney's Afghanistan Policy -- Josh Rogin, The Cable/Foreign Policy

Republican candidate Mitt Romney's policy on the future of U.S.-led war in Afghanistan war is unclear and confusing, complicating attempts to either support or criticize it during the campaign, according to leading senators from both parties.

On Romney's website, the campaign criticizes President Barack Obama for announcing a "timetable" for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan and accuses the administration of placing politics over the advice of military commanders by withdrawing 30,000 surge troops by September.

"Gov. Romney supports the 2014 timetable as a realistic timetable and a residual force post-2014. But he would not have announced that timetable publicly, as President Obama did, as doing so encourages the Taliban to wait us out and our allies to hedge their bets," a Romney campaign spokesperson told The Cable.

But when it comes to what a President Romney would do differently from Obama on Afghanistan if and when he became president, the details remain sketchy.

Read more ....

My Comment: I follow American politics very closely .... and even I do not know (specifically) what Republican Presidential candidate Romney's position on Afghanistan is. It's good that he will listen to the commanders .... but in the end it is he who will make policy, and that policy is still unknown. For what it's worth, on his website they outline the following Afghan position.

Sighhh .... this is the problem when you have a candidate who keeps his convictions and political philosophy to himself .... especially on issues that involve foreign affairs .... you are left guessing.

Cofer Black Is Mitt Romney's Intelligence Advisor

Meet Mitt Romney’s Trusted Envoy to the Dark Side, Cofer Black -- Eli Black, The Daily Beast

Romney’s intel guy delivers briefings from former CIA agents and analysis from foreign spies. He comes with a lot of experience, and a bit of baggage.

Every president needs one: a trusted envoy to the murky world of the U.S. intelligence community who is also treated like a close political aide. For President Obama that person is John Brennan, a career CIA officer who is so powerful that many senior spies complain that Brennan is the de facto CIA chief. For President Reagan, the envoy was William Casey, who helped wage a secret war against Soviet proxies from his perch as CIA director at Langley, Va., after he managed his friend's presidential campaign in 1980. President George W. Bush often relied on Dick Cheney for counsel about the dark side, particularly after 9/11. If Mitt Romney wins the presidency, his trusted man inside the intel community will almost certainly be Cofer Black, a retired CIA officer best known for running the agency’s counterterrorism center on 9/11.

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My Comment: Obama's supporters will probably point out Cofer Black's Blackwater links .... but beyond that .... there is not much that they can use against Romney on his choice of this intelligence adviser for input on national security issues.