The Fight Romney Doesn't Want

One year ago tonight, President Obama announced the death of Osama Bin Laden to the world. TPM notes the contrast the picture above has with this:

I’m watching John Bolton on Fox saying how President Obama is being “unpresidential” by promoting his taking down of Osama bin Laden. At the same time, Donald Rumsfeld is piping up to criticize Obama on the same point.

And therein lies a big problem for Mitt Romney. It stands to reason that Bolton, Rumsfeld et al. are going to be the first to leap to Mitt’s defense here. It’s in their abundant self-interest to do so.

But the last thing Romney needs are the dead-enders from the last administration forming a very public phalanx around him. That’s politically deadly. Then again, who on the Republican side has the national security cred anymore to be an asset for Mitt? It’s a big problem.

Real talk here: The best foreign policy voices in the GOP are sitting this out. That would be former President George H.W. Bush, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, and former Secretary of State James Baker. They are sitting this out because they either don't support Romney, or they want to see him lose, and Jeb Bush run in an open 2016 race. For this reason, while President Obama and Vice-President Biden themselves, Hillary Clinton and their cabinet, and even former President Clinton can go out and celebrate what is a strong foreign policy record, Mitt Romney is left with the misfits of the George W. Bush administration doing his defense. In fact, the former President himself (W) won't even do much for Mitt, because well, his brother probably wants to run next time. I can't say I blame them either. So, enjoy Bolton and Rumsfeld, and other discredited foreign policy extremists who brought you a war based on nothing- it's the best the GOP has to offer.