I've been watching MSNBC, but I paused it and fast forwarded and might have missed it, but this moment needs to be singled out and mocked. I'll post the video once I can get it, but I wanted to get this out here:
ROMNEY: Syria is Iran’s only ally in the Arab world. It’s their route to the sea.
It's...it's what now?
For some reference, here is a map of the Middle East.
Now, Mitt Romney won't be able to read this map, but that's Iran on the right there, to the east of, but not bordering, Syria. Iraq stands there between them. Okay, so their route to the sea goes through US client state Iraq before making it to the sea, and that's preferable to the 1500 miles of coastline that they control their own damn selves?
The alternate theory is this: Syria is the Gulf of Oman, as if Tampa Bay can have two sports teams, other bodies of water can have civic arrangements as well. The strait of Hormuz is Pakistan. So Mitt Romney thinks that bodies of water are nuclear power.
Or he's just ludicrously bad at geography and didn't think to correct that fact before stepping into a debate with the President of the United States.
Oh, and lest it be said I'm culling some out of context quote and applying my own editorial bias to what it means, I dare any who would say such to give me a better explanation of these remarks, in context:
MR. SCHIEFFER: Governor.
MR. ROMNEY: Well, let’s step back and talk about what’s happening in Syria and how important it is. First of all, 30,000 people being killed by their government is a humanitarian disaster.
Secondly, Syria’s an opportunity for us because Syria plays an important role in the Middle East, particularly right now. Syria is Iran’s only ally in the Arab world. It’s their route to the sea. It’s the route for them to arm Hezbollah in Lebanon, which threatens, of course, our ally Israel. And so seeing Syria remove Assad is a very high priority for us. Number two, seeing a — a replacement government being responsible people is critical for us. And finally, we don’t want to have military involvement there. We don’t want to get drawn into a military conflict.