Romney says qualified advisers are key to a sound foreign policy
MANCHESTER, N.H. - Mitt Romney, facing questions yesterday about his foreign policy experience in light of the assassination of former Pakistani leader Benazir Bhutto, said it is not necessary for a president to be an expert in international matters as long he is surrounded by qualified advisers.
The former governor of Massachusetts declined to say what he would do as president if Pakistan descended into civil war and the security of its nuclear weapons were at risk, saying he didn't want to discuss a hypothetical situation.
Peppered by reporters with questions at a Manchester campaign stop, the Republican presidential candidate dismissed suggestions that rivals such as former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani or Senator John McCain of Arizona have more experience to deal with a crisis in Pakistan. Even after his press secretary insisted that no more questions would be answered, Romney felt the issue was important enough to return to the microphone to address a query about his lack of expertise on foreign affairs.
"The President is not an expert," Romney said. "The president is a leader who guides America in making the important decisions which must be made to keep us safe."
Romney said he will be a data-driven leader who will carefully examine situations and bring in advisers before making a decision. He said he would not make quick foreign policy decisions from his "gut." As a result, he declined to respond to a question about how he would deal with the possibility of nuclear weapons being unguarded if Pakistan had a civil war.
"I really don't think that a hypothetical of that nature is possible to respond to," Romney said. "In any setting of this nature and any time you are dealing with a foreign policy crisis that falls at your doorstep, the key is what process you pursue, what skills do you have in dealing with that challenge? You don't just jump from the gut and say, 'Well, here's what I think we ought to do' and then take action. Instead, you bring together all of those with extensive experience in the arena, you gather all the information."
Romney sought to dismiss claims that Giuliani is better prepared to lead during a foreign policy crisis. Giuliani has often cited his leadership after the Sept. 11 attacks as part of his appeal as a candidate. "Mayor Giuliani was mayor for . . . about three months after 9/11 and he did a fine job in responding to the tragedy that occurred on 9/11," Romney said. Romney then cited his own experience, saying he developed a plan for security in Massachusetts and the 2002 Olympics, referring to the games in Salt Lake City as "the first national special security event following 9/11."
"If the answer for leading the country is someone that has a lot of foreign policy experience, we can just go down to the State Department and pick up any one of the tens of thousands of people who spent all their life in foreign policy," Romney said. "That's not what a nation needs in a president. The person that is president of the United States we look to to have leadership skill." 