Robert Gibbs And Mitt Romney - President Obama’s campaign said Sunday that Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s gaffe on the London Olympics raises questions about “whether he’s ready to be commander in chief.”
In a face-off between two top campaign aides, Obama advisor Robert Gibbs said Romney’s public questioning of whether the Games would come off smoothly “was an embarrassment for our country.”
"To go overseas, stand in the country of our strongest ally — and the Olympics that they've been preparing years for — and question whether or not they're ready, does make you wonder whether or not he's ready to be commander in chief," the former White House press secretary said on ABC’s “This Week” news show.
Romney, who oversaw the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, said on Thursday “You know, it’s hard to know just how well it … will turn out.” He said reports of logistical problems were “disconcerting.”
But Kevin Madden, senior advisor to Romney, said voters are focused on “big things” in the election. He said rather than on one day’s headlines from London they would vote based on their judgments about U.S. economic prospects and U.S. security abroad.
Romney’s campaign said Sunday in Israel that the Republican candidate supported Israel’s right to defend itself by attacking Iran to end Tehran’s nuclear program, if it decides that is necessary.
Gibbs said Obama’s view is that "any country, and Israel certainly, has the right to defend itself and its citizens.”
The Obama administration has acknowledged Israeli’s right to defend itself, but the president and his military leaders have repeatedly urged Israel to hold off military action until diplomacy and economic sanctions can be given a full chance to dissuade Tehran from developing a nuclear capability.
Gibbs said Obama has had “the strongest commitment of any president to Israel’s security,” referring to an increase in military aid and intelligence collaboration.
But Madden referred to frictions on Iran between Obama and pro-Israel lawmakers, who have been at times more eager than the White House to pile new economic sanctions on Iran.
He said many lawmakers wish Obama had “been stronger and worked more collaboratively” with Capitol Hill on the issue.
Source:http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-gibbs-romneys-olympic-comments-an-embarrassment-for-our-country-20120729,0,2107255.story?track=rss
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