Mitt Romney, driven by his foreign policy hawk handlers, jumped the gun with his absurd and insulting political attack on the President in the face of a human tragedy. Today, he has set himself up as a shameful example of both the worst and least in American politics.
While members of our Foreign Service family have been taken from us in an inexcusable and abhorring act of mob hostility, all Romney can think about is securing a lock on power by any means possible. That is not the type of person who ought to be at the helm of the most powerful -- technologically advanced and economically backed -- military in the world.
I am personally insulted, appalled and further disturbed by his behavior. It falls short of even the least expectations of a candidate for the highest public office in our nation, and compares neither to the expected behavior of an experienced statesman, nor to the steady hand of our current Commander in Chief.
As Latinos, many of us have very personal interests tied up in foreign policy. From friends and family members, to politics and business interests, our lives are bound up with those of other nations. As Americans, we must understand that despite our greatest precautions and securitization efforts on the worlds stage, at some point, somewhere in the world, tragedy will eventually strike. We must further be concerned with how we respond in these emotionally jarring moments. Do we lash out, say or worse do something we'll later come to regret? Or rather do we stay the course, measure our rhetoric and actions with both strength and empathy--neither of which is mutually exclusive -- and keep our eyes steadfastly locked on the bigger picture?
These are the tough questions we need to ask ourselves and our leadership in moments of tragedy. We must continue to keep in mind that guiding the largest economic and military power in the world is no simple task. In fact, there is little one can imagine being more difficult than maneuvering our nation, with all its diversity in person and interests, during times of upheaval.
When both our economic and democratic values seem to hang in the balance -- both internationally and here at home -- Americans need a sense of stability. We must be able to look to our leadership in these times of increasing unrest and uncertainty, and trust that they are able to do what we've elected them to do: keep a level head and deal appropriately with the problems we face.
Mitt Romney is not that type of leader. Whether speaking on Economic or Foreign Policy; whether on Immigration or Health Care; Education or Job Creation; Mitt Romney has shifted, ducked and weaved when his "answers" to these hard questions have been challenged even slightly. He becomes noticeably irritable, and dare I say, at least slightly unstable. He has put forward policies that are harmful to Americans in general, and to Latino Americans specifically, his policy proposals would be disastrous. Mitt Romney's behavior is unbecoming of what we know to be the shared values that unite our incredibly diverse community.
Mitt Romney, who seems only to be interested in the personal power and prestige that the Presidency has to offer, may be the poorest example of what it means to guide and to lead our great nation in either good or bad times. It is a sad testament to the GOP that he is the best answer they have to solve some of the most entrenched, complex problems we have ever faced.
While I respect his career interest in public service, I cannot be more direct when I state that Mitt Romney does not deserve to be President of the United States of America.