Romney: If Chen reports true, 'it's a day of shame for the Obama administration'

[shawn703]

Source: The Hill

Mitt Romney provided a blistering critique of the Obama administration's handling of dissident Chen Guangcheng Thursday, saying if reports from China "are true, this is a dark day for freedom. And it's a day of shame for the Obama administration."

Chen Guangcheng, the blind dissident who had sought refuge in the U.S. embassy in Beijing, wants to leave China with his family, the State Department confirmed early Thursday.

But under a deal reached with Chinese authorities, Chen was to remain in a university town in China and get regular check-ins with U.S. diplomats. Chen now says he only left the embassy because he felt his life was in danger and that he still wants to leave China, leading to howls from Republican lawmakers who say the administration has bungled their handling of the situation.


Romney largely echoed that sentiment in remarks while campaigning in Virginia Thursday, saying it appeared that State Department officials "may have sped up the process of his decision to leave the embassy."

Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/225299-romney-if-chen-reports-true-its-a-day-of-shame-for-the-obama-administration

[JoePhilly]

1. Mitt is willing to get this guy killed to further his own political ambitions ... nice.

[sadbear]

2. Willing? Mitt's hoping this guy is killed.

[JoePhilly]

5. Agree completely.

[alp227]

16. Would the party bosses prefer martyrdom or a backroom deal a la Iran 1981?

I wonder how many here are starting to think about the Iran hostage crisis and how the hostages were freed as Reagan was sworn in.

[Lint Head]

3. Anything for politics. Even endangering someone in another country. Republicans are vile people.

[The Wielding Truth]

4. This is delicate. Stay out of it, Mitt! You fool.

[eppur_se_muova]

6. I thought "politics ended at the water's edge" ?

Didn't Repugs raise a stink when Dems critized Bu**sh**'s comments on a state visit ? Supposedly this violated some long-held tradition of not interfering in the President's conduct of foreign policy. But Mitt is playing umpire from the stands and IOKIYAR, of course.

[Botany]

13. That is just what I posted

But you were first

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002641705

Our Sec. of State is in China right now and Mitt is opening his pie hole?

[Pirate Smile]

7. Gawk, could they just shut the f**k up while this plays out. Dumbass & idiot.

[rocktivity]

8. Guangcheng left the embassy of his own free will?

And if he didn't feel safe there, why would he feel safer with US diplomats "periodically" checking in on him?

Gary Locke, the U.S. ambassador to China, said Chen did not ask to leave the country...." (F)rom day one, he said...(h)e was not interested in going to the United States, that he wanted to be reunified with his family, and that he wanted an investigation of the abuses that...he and his family had suffered..."

We haven't got the entire story here!


rocktivity

[Pirate Smile]

9. It seems like he wanted to get to his family & then changed what he wanted once he got to them.

Then he wanted to get out & to the US but now that is changing again & he wants to stay in China so who the hell knows.

It is bizarre how much access he has to international reporters.

We need to just wait.

[rocktivity]

12. DING DING DING! Pirate Smile, you're our grand prize winner!

We need to just wait.

Well, Mitt sure isn't waiting on a chance to undermine Obama -- what does he care that it's crystal clear that someone is lying through his teeth? And if Obama HAD given Guangcheng asylum, you can bet that R-Money would be accusing Obama of pandering to socialist illegal aliens!


rocktivity

[jtuck004]

10. Mi$$ = clown.

I am not intending to insult clowns in a broad-brush sort of way. The comparison is to the scary and inept ones.

[truthisfreedom]

11. Out of the loop and clueless, why does Mittens hate America?

[CBHagman]

14. The Republicans are mounting rapid response on this...

...even before we can verify what happened.

Today Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Congressman Frank Wolf (R-VA) had a hearing on the case of Chen Guangcheng...and duly trotted out people with conservative credentials who would praise the Reagan administration and lambaste the Obama administration.

Here's a link to Frank Wolf's statement, and please notice the respect he accords himself (Wolf is nothing if not self-referencing):

http://wolf.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=34&itemid=1931

Excerpt:

I have to wonder if there were other forces at work.

Had word come down from on high to resolve the Chen situation, no matter what, prior to the arrival of Secretaries Clinton and Geithner who were headed to Beijing this week for high-level economic and foreign policy talks?

Was there even a hint of coercion or pressure involved?

What were the internal embassy, State Department and White House deliberations?

When the dust settles, I intend to formally request to review all cable traffic, classified or otherwise, that surrounded these negotiations.

Further, the administration has an obligation to release the details of the deal that was struck with the Chinese government, especially given how quickly it appears to have unraveled.

If I can find quotations from the witnesses called in (Michael Horowitz of the Hudson Institute, for instance), I'll post them.

[unkachuck]

15. if the Chinese were smart....

....they'd let Chen and his family leave....then low-ball Hillary and timmys' visit while thinking about doing something equally creative with their embassies....

'...if reports from China "are true, this is a dark day for freedom...'

....give us a break slick-willard, the day you were born was a dark day for America....

[freshwest]

17. Mitt should fire the idiot drawing his Etch-A-Sketch speeches.

[truthisfreedom]

18. I don't think rMoney will gain anything from this.

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/05/04/world/asia/china-activist-us/?hpt=hp_t1

[treestar]

19. So this will become an issue merely because Mitt thinks it will help him

No one would ever have heard of this case otherwise.

[truthisfreedom]

20. We were in the midst of other negotiations with China, which caused this story to come to the fore.

It's unfortunate, but actually pretty interesting. Will it affect the election? No.

[yellowcanine]

21. This is going to backfire big time on Mitt and Frank Wolfe also.

Republicans have the nerve to howl about Obama politicizing the death of OBL one year after the fact and here they are making political statements about ongoing negotiations with China over a dissident.

[CenaW]

22. Candidate Romney interfering with sensitive foreign affairs situation. Where is that "liberal" MSM

Now if the so called LIBERAL MSM is really liberal why aren't they attacking Romney for speaking out on this situation as it is in progress. The only comment he should have made is "no comment at this time."

[Rosa Luxemburg]

23. Romney is defined as a fool!

[Wind Dancer]

25. ..among other things.

He needs to STFU - enough said.

[politicasista]

24. Mute Romney es muy loco n/t