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Fact Check: Here Are What the AP Says Are Mistruths From Romney’s Foreign Policy Speech

Oct. 9, 2012 7:12am Billy Hallowell

Editor’s Note: The following “fact check” was composed by The Associated Press, not TheBlaze. Below, find the inconsistencies the AP claims to have found during Romney’s foreign policy speech on Monday.

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Mitt Romney solely blamed President Barack Obama on Monday for potential defense cuts that Republicans in Congress worked out with the White House and Democrats and left the misimpression that Obama has ignored free trade initiatives.

A closer look at some of the Republican presidential nominee’s statements in his foreign policy speech:

ROMNEY: “I will roll back President Obama’s deep and arbitrary cuts to our national defense that would devastate our military.”

THE FACTS: “Arbitrary” defense cuts do not belong to Obama alone but also to congressional Republicans, including his vice presidential running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan. The first round of cuts in projected defense spending is the result of a bipartisan deal in August 2011 between Congress and the White House to wrestle down the deficit. Unless a new budget deal is reached in time, additional spending cuts will begin in January across government, and the cost to the Pentagon would be $500 billion over a decade. Lawmakers are working to avoid that. Separately, Obama wants to slow the growth of military spending, now that the war in Iraq is ended and the war in Afghanistan is drawing to a close. The Pentagon’s budget, including war costs, is $670 billion this year, or about 18 percent of total federal spending. Even setting aside the costs of the wars, military spending has more than doubled since 2001.

AP Fact Checks Mitt Romneys Foreign Policy Speech

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney greets students at Fairfield Elementary school after he delivered a foreign policy speech at the Virginia Military Institute on October 8, 2012 in Fairfield, Virginia. Mitt Romney is campagning in Virginia. Credit: Getty Images

At its heart, Romney’s statement marks a disagreement with Obama over the proper level of military spending but also skips past a deficit-reduction deal that he recently criticized Republicans in Congress for negotiating.

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ROMNEY: “The president has not signed one new free trade agreement in the past four years.”

THE FACTS: Obama hasn’t opened new trade negotiations, but he’s completed some big ones, overcoming opposition from fellow Democrats to do so. After taking office, he revived a free-trade deal with Colombia that had been negotiated by his Republican predecessor but left to languish without congressional approval and sought similar progress with South Korean and Panamanian free-trade pacts. The president delayed submitting the three deals to Congress while he tried to placate Democrats who opposed some of the terms, but finally submitted them in 2011, and Congress approved them.

—

ROMNEY: “I will recommit America to the goal of a democratic, prosperous Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security with the Jewish state of Israel. On this vital issue, the president has failed, and what should be a negotiation process has devolved into a series of heated disputes at the United Nations. In this old conflict, as in every challenge we face in the Middle East, only a new president will bring the chance to begin anew.”

THE FACTS: With this statement, Romney has moved toward the balance enshrined in U.S. policy from one administration to another on the question of Israelis and Palestinians and away from his provocative remarks to a May fundraiser that recently came to light.

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney delivers a foreign policy speech at the Virginia Military Institute on October 8, 2012 in Lexington, Virginia. Mitt Romney is campagning in Virginia. Credit: Getty Images

In those remarks, he said “the Palestinians have no interest whatsoever in establishing peace,” `’the pathway to peace is almost unthinkable to accomplish,” Palestinians are “committed to the destruction and elimination of Israel” and it would be “the worst idea in the world” to put pressure on the Israelis to give up something in hopes Palestinians would respond accordingly.

Now he is appearing to put faith in a negotiation process he all but dismissed before [Blaze Editor's Note: While the AP frames Romney's words in this way, TheBlaze has noted that media -- including the AP in this instance -- have misrepresented what was said. Get the full story here].

—

ROMNEY: “As the dust settles, as the murdered (in the Libya consulate attack) are buried, Americans are asking how this happened, how the threats we face have grown so much worse, and what this calls on America to do.”

THE FACTS: It’s unclear whether terrorism has gotten worse. There has been no incident even remotely comparable in scope or symbolic meaning to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. After a score of counterterrorist successes, the Obama administration has been knocked back on its heels since the attacks’ 11th anniversary, when assailants stormed the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, and killed a U.S. ambassador and three other Americans. There has also been an uptick in attacks on American troops by supposedly friendly Afghan forces. But many counterterrorist experts say al-Qaida has been significantly weakened and the threats of global terrorism significantly better countered over the last decade.

—

ROMNEY: “When we look at the Middle East today — with Iran closer than ever to nuclear weapons capability, with the conflict in Syria threating to destabilize the region, with violent extremists on the march and with an American ambassador and three others dead likely at the hands of al-Qaida affiliates — it is clear that the risk of conflict in the region is higher now than when the president took office.”

US Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney delivers a foreign policy speech at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia, on October 8, 2012. Romney called for a change of course in America's Middle East policy, accusing President Barack Obama of sitting on the sidelines in the face of a 'profound upheaval' across the region. Credit: AFP/Getty Images

THE FACTS: Risk is always a matter of perception, so it doesn’t fall easily into the realm of truth vs. fiction. But for the United States and the region, it’s not clear that conflict has increased in the last four years. Obama entered office in 2009 with the United States still engaged in a conflict in Iraq. U.S. troops are no longer there. And he came as Israel and Hamas just finished a three-week war. That was two years after another war between Israel and an Iranian-backed force, in that case, Hezbollah in Lebanon.

There has been no significant Israeli military conflict since Obama has come into office. That said, Syria’s conflict has become the region’s deadliest since the Iraq war. The U.S. has stayed out of that conflict under Obama.

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Comments (77)

SamIamTwo
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 9:46am
With regard to the DoD cuts, did anyone provide a link to the vote record? I’d do it but I’m sick and tired of all of this trash. Plus I have to go to work. hahaha

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- JRook
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 1:28pm
  Yo billy the term is lie and Romney and Ryan have made it the basis of their campaign. Witness the Welfare to Work lie and the auto plant closing.
  
  Report this comment
- ammy
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 2:05pm
  This is really a reply to JROOK. Stop trolling buddy. You can say something a million times and it still doesn’t make it so. Romney and Ryan aren’t lying and your side is looking pathetic. How about O defend his record instead of trying to misdirect. He is a liar, thief and murderer. Look at the dead Navy Seals shot out of the sky after the WH leaked the details of the Bin Laden raid. Look at the dead Ambassador in Libya that they have done nothing but lie about.
  
  Report this comment
- db321
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 7:20pm
  BILLY HALLAWAY – is all you need to know about this article – Read Billy Hallaway’s other Blaze articles and you will all agree that he is a liberal plant in side the Blaze. Billy Boy seem to find the strangest articles to post, for example it was Billy Hallaway that posted the Article “95% of Christians in America would vote for an atheist President.” I call BS Billy Hallaway.
  
  When I see an article on the Blaze that does not fit or make since – I scroll to the top of the Article and there is Billy Hallway’s Name in RED as the writer.
  
  Billy Hallaway does not fool me and I hope other consider the source when reading his articles.
  
  Report this comment
noslave
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 9:39am
bottom line the 3 am call came to the white house on 9/11,and nobody was home to answer?,obama was fundraiseing in nevada,who knows what hillary was doing??4 americans were savigeley killed?they trotted out absurd B.S.to cover their arses,but the lie is unravelling? maybe call forewarding would suit them better?probably not they will still ignore the calls.

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Uechi
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 9:27am
Even if everything Romney says has errors in it, what about Barry O? Every word out of his Marxist mouth isn’t an error it is a deliberate lie. I’ll take mistakes or omissions over flat out lies.

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xxxPatriot
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 9:01am
One day, the press will regret being biased.

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- soybomb315_II
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 9:15am
  After only being on Theblaze for less than 2 hours, they decided to move this article down below yesterday’s articles in order to prevent more people from reading it. There is no way this was done because of views/comments because it was only on for less than two hours – not enough time to determine ‘popularity’
  
  Report this comment
RIGS
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 9:01am
Anything the ASS PRESS says or prints is always half bullcrap. I even suspect there college football ratings anymore.

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nilo
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 8:24am
Does the AP vett the President’s speeches???

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- ComradeAdam
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 6:31pm
  Of course they do! It would be irresponsible of them to send Obama the speeches he is to give without looking them over first. They just arent very good at discerning fact from fiction.
  
  Report this comment
lgccac
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 8:21am
“Here Are What the AP Says Are Mistruths From Romney’s Foreign Policy Speech”

The AP – now there’s a reputable news organization. To you liberals, that’s called sarcasm!

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- justangry
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 8:30pm
  There are no non bias new sources. Most of them are owned by people with CFR membership. Your news if filtered through the globalists. Independent sites have their own issues. Do you think the (I hate homosexuals, values voting progressive, Constitution is OK when it fits our agenda, bomb the Middle East) Blaze is any different?
  
  Report this comment
Gums
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 8:21am
Should be called: Factcheck Romney; Protect Obama with half truths and Obfuscation: I knew Republican were tools for adopting that budget cut plan. We conservatives said ALL ALONG they Democrats WILL NOT make a deal and therefore give the power to “the white house”. You make a deal with the devil you lose. Learn from your mistakes you idiots. They set you up long ago and you didn’t see it coming because you aren’t strong enough.

Second point on that, what does “slow the growth of spending” mean? How much $$$ are we talking about? NO FACTS????

Second “Factcheck” of Romney, not Obama: Just say: Romney “….no free trade agreements in four years” FACT.

Third point: Just say: FACT. He will work for a two state solution. But they won’t, that’s the problem.

Fourth point: Are you even checking for facts now or just throwing in your opinion?!?!? Look around the middle east with the rise of Islamists too and fro. Many counterterrorist experts say al Qaeda is stronger. Why not say that? Where are the FACTS?

Fifth point: HAHAHAH!!! So now it is an opinion whether or not a nuclear Iran, a terrorist haven that swears to destroy us and Israel and use their nuclear weapons, is a threat or not?!?!?! HAHAHAH!!! GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT!!!!

FACTCHECK: YOU ARE A JOKE!!! An Obama surrogate. Shills. Lapdogs. You can not be trusted and should be laughed into obscurity until you no longer exist.

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- YtownSports
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 11:31am
  Good post. A “fact check” should never contain opinion. In should be short, concise, and should never have to be fact checked itself.
  
  Report this comment
jcldwl
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 8:18am
They’ve got nothing so it is time for character attacks. Typical and way over used. They just don’t get that we are finally tired of all their lies and will not be swayed by them any longer. Conservatism will win in November. Praise God.

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- soybomb315_II
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 8:26am
  character attacks? These seem more like facts to me
  
  Report this comment
crusaderx9
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 8:17am
obama is an “unmitigated disaster” and AP is going to “frame” the argument as if Mitt Romney is the one who is to be feared?…

Mitt Romney needs to keep the pressure on the obama regime. The US is ready to support him if he keeps rolling hard toward the Presidency.

The debate revealed Romney as a true legitimate leader as opposed to a confused obama whose celebrity hollywood star is fading…

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Eastinfection
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 8:09am
They don’t really seem to be pointing out “lies” as much as they are insisting these were opinionated statements represented as facts by Romney. To me it kind of reads like this:

Romney: The Packers stink!

AP: Liar! At this point of the season it’s impossible to tell whether the Packers stink or not.

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- soybomb315_II
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 8:24am
  would have been easier if they just said “see G.W. Bush”
  
  Report this comment
- Eastinfection
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 8:44am
  @SOY…
  
  Actually they could have said “see all presidents since Wilson”
  
  Report this comment
- circleDwagons
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 9:39am
  hey soy. shhhh…. all was good before obama …. must listen to hannity……
  
  Report this comment
- rickinpa
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 11:32am
  Or better “all good with Obama” must listen to delusional media and very weak brain regardless of unemployment rate, poverty, gas and food prices, middle east problems, dead Americans…
  
  Report this comment
bandi9
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 8:06am
encinom has never offered one substantive comment in all the blather he writes. its always just some immature snide remark. get a job dude.

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- BehindBlueEyes
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 8:21am
  That’s because he/she is a typical liberal and also is a troll. Trolls are only here to yank peoples chains. They don’t want to engage or contribute to the discussion they’re here to agitate with immature off the wall useless posts. Very sad and troubled individuals.
  
  Report this comment
country_hick
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 8:03am
“It’s unclear whether terrorism has gotten worse. There has been no incident even remotely comparable in scope or symbolic meaning to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.”

Well, gee whiz jeepers! There ain’t been no nuclear attacks. SEE, we told you terrorism is down!!!

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RSHLUVER
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 7:50am
Why doesn’t the Blaze fact check Bam Bam?

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- HKS
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 8:10am
  Good point, the only thing I ever see called a fact check is aimed at Romney and its not a fact check it’s an editorial written by Axlerod, maybe it’s because there is nothing there that could be called the truth on Obaame, even by Axlerod.
  
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PIGSWILLNEVERFLY
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 7:49am
I watched “indivisible” again last night on-line at daystar.com. We can vote in November but, turning to God is going to be our only real salvation. We are fighting very evil forces and the Media and Judicial system are no longer protecting us…they too have sold their souls.

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frabby0421
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 7:47am
I agree 100% with your spot on comments

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phrogdriver
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 7:47am
It’s interesting that AP feels compelled to “Fact Check” Romney’s opinions by offering their own point of view. I’m guessing those are the points that hit closest to home.

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SaturdaysWarrior76
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 7:45am
@Encinom: You lie every day for your dear leader. Go Away.

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HKS
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 7:44am
Sounds like jiber jabber that Axlerod would write. What they call facts are subjective opinions, so what I see here is an editorial.

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soybomb315_II
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 7:43am
i love when Mitt Romney says he will balance the budget in one sentence and then in the next sentence criticizes Obama for those defense cuts that were bipartisan. Politics above principle

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- Gums
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 7:52am
  I love how you talk about liberty, the constitution and budget cuts but then troll conservative websites and criticize Ocommie’s opponent ALL day. How worthless does a person have to be to act like someone they are not all day every day? I hope those two shillings you got are worth it you cockroach.
  
  Report this comment
- Eastinfection
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 8:20am
  @GUMS…
  
  You’d prefer to sit around all day on a thread full of people you agree 100% with?
  
  I like the range of opinions on these pages.
  
  We’re here to debate. Falling lockstep with the orders handed down from the GOP is dull.
  
  also… regardless of whether or not you agree with him, at least SOY rarely makes a case that he can not back up with other references.
  
  Report this comment
- soybomb315_II
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 8:23am
  good job avoiding the issue. What other conservative websites do i troll?
  
  Report this comment
- soybomb315_II
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 8:33am
  @East
  It appears they prefer intellectual incest around here
  
  Report this comment
- Gums
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 8:34am
  I not going to talk about every “issue” that you happen to come up with every time a thought floats through that echo-chamber your call a skull.
  
  East infection: who is “we” and who pays you to sit around ALL DAY and “debate” (LOL love the liberty you assign to certain words… maybe that is why you Progressives act like Paultards. Is that what you mean by “liberty”?).
  
  No, but seriously, ********, who pays you to troll conservatives ALL DAY?
  
  Report this comment
- Eastinfection
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 8:36am
  @SOY.. lol.. Yuck. I’m going to start wearing latex gloves when i post.
  
  Report this comment
- Eastinfection
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 8:49am
  @GUMS.. “we” is everyone here.. you included. Are you not here to debate?
  
  If not, you’re a glorified graffiti artist..
  
  Funny… a devout Romney supporter calling 2 Libertarians (one of which is voting for your boyfriend Mitt) “progressives”. Nice try.
  
  Report this comment
- rickinpa
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 11:38am
  @ SOY
  You have a point if the defense cuts were the only way to balance the budget. I think a funnier one is when obama talks about the defecit like its a bad thing while he adds a trillion to it every year…LOL Or how obama talks about a budget like its a good thing but hasn’t had the dem controlled Senate pass one for his entire term?!?!? LOL
  
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NewLife56
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 7:34am
It’s time someone fact checked the AP. Some of this is very wrong

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- soybomb315_II
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 7:51am
  such as?
  
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- Eastinfection
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 8:29am
  @SOY… don’t know if this is wrong as much as it just doesn’t make sense:
  
  AP: “Romney…left the misimpression that Obama has ignored free trade initiatives.”
  
  ROMNEY: “The president has not signed one new free trade agreement in the past four years.”
  
  AP: “Obama hasn’t opened new trade negotiations”
  
  Aside from “misimpression” being a non-word Bush-ism, there is no lie here. Just a different interpretation of the word “new”..
  
  Report this comment
Fla.Patriot
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 7:31am
O.K, who exactly did this “fact check” for the AP? This thing is slanted so far to the left I’m surprised it has’nt fallen over. Who was the actual author, Barack Obama?

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MiCurmudgeon
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 7:30am
Harry Truman had it right….”The buck stops here.” Oblamer is the president and promised to be non-partisan. Maybe some of his golf , campaigning , fund raising and View time could have been used to actually meet with Congressional leaders , Cabinet and Jobs Commission and done a “little” work.

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Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 7:28am
Reality check – Obama has destabalized the Middle East with his insanity based ‘Reset Relations’ efforts; his support of the Islamist Extremists and Iran (useless sanctions), while in effect throwing Israel to the wolves.

His domestic policies are equal disasters across the board and he has towed and bowed to the dragon of China at every opportunity that he can; as he continues his effort to destroy the nation and replace a communist system of governance.

Reality check – Fire the treasonous POTUS in November.
Reality check – Once he is out of office, try him for his crimes.

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- soybomb315_II
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 7:52am
  our government has sought to destabilize various countries in the middle east for decades
  
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- Gums
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 8:26am
  Soybomb – Actually the purpose of our foreign policy in the Middle East has always been to stabilize the region. That is their goal first and foremost. Until Obama destroyed all of that and now it is more unstable than ever. Slap some sense into yourself and then look at Egypt. Maybe that can help stop your rigid intolerance of common sense.
  
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- Eastinfection
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 9:06am
  @GUMS…
  
  “The goal was to destabilize the six Eastern Muslim provinces of the Soviet federation both by smuggling in subversive propaganda, fraudulent books on Soviet atrocities against Muslim people, and sabotage teams focused on assassinating Soviet officers and destroying factories and supply depots.” William Casey, Director of Central Intelligence from 1981 to 1987
  
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- soybomb315_II
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 9:20am
  Gums, don’t try to build an argument based on being against what I said. It will inevitably lead you to make up history and skew reality.
  
  We destabilize countries we don’t like (which is most of the middle east) and stabilize countries we do like (like Saudi Arabia). That is the purpose of the CIA
  
  Report this comment
Edohiguma
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 7:22am
Fact is Romney was spot on with his initial comments on the “Palestinians”. They don’t want peace. They want to kill Jews.

Fact is the Obama administration knew within 24 hours that the assault on the embassy had nothing to do with that silly little movie but they kept spinning that lie anyway and even used it as “argument” to demand the death of free speech at the UN assembly.

Fact is the risk for war in the Middle East is higher than ever. Anyone trying to weasel out with “risk is a matter of perception” needs to be kicked in the balls. Iran with a nuclear bomb is as bad as it gets. It doesn’t get worse than that. That’s a simple fact.

Of course AP would never admit things like that.

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- kickagrandma
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 7:25am
  @EDOHIGUMA~~~ Right on!
  
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- encinom
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 7:28am
  Fact is Romney has been lying since day one, shanging his postions, flipping and flopping like a fish out of water.
  
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- bitemebiden
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 7:43am
  Encinom, is that why Obozo stood like a deer in the front of a car’s headlights when confronted about HIS lies? He had no retort to any accusations… just a sheepish smile… oh that’s right… the GOP druged his water.
  
  Report this comment
- frabby0421
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 7:46am
  I couldn’t agree more with your comments!!! Right on!!!!
  
  Report this comment
- rickinpa
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 11:28am
  Encinomom you have Romney and Obama confused
  
  Report this comment

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