Romney Speaks Harshly but Treads Fine Line on Foreign Policy
Share with others:  Print Email Read Later  LEXINGTON, Va. --
Mitt Romney launched a broad attack on Monday against what he
termed President Obama's failure "to shape history" in the
Middle East, but he found himself walking a fine line between
criticizing the president he is running against and avoiding any
endorsement of the type of international interventions
undertaken by the most recent president from his own party,
George W. Bush, whom he rarely mentions.  Mr. Romney urged
arming the rebels trying to oust President Bashar al-Assad of
Syria so that they can "defeat Assad's tanks, helicopters and
fighter jets" -- a step that would go well beyond the
president's decision to provide only nonlethal aid.  But
speaking at the Virginia Military Institute, Mr. Romney stopped
short of saying that the United States itself should provide the
arms to the rebels directly, or get involved on the ground. Nor
did he explain how he would handle what in the Whi