(Politico).Mitt Romney's speech today, titled "The Care of Freedom," positions him in a line of presidential hopefuls from John F. Kennedy (the "missile gap") to Ronald Reagan seeking traction on security by arguing that the incumbent isn't spending enough on defense.
The speech calls for defense spending to rise to 4 percent of GDP, rather than falling as a share of the economy, as currently budgeted.
link to Video of the speech on C-span
The heart of his critique:
"I take issue with President Obama’s recent tour of apology. It’s not because America hasn’t made mistakes — we have — but because America’s mistakes are overwhelmed by what America has meant to the hopes and aspirations of people throughout the world.
The President also claimed on Arabic TV that America has dictated to other nations. No, America has sacrificed to free other nations from dictators. Britain’s Guardian newspaper noted that Mr. Obama has been more critical of his own country, while on foreign soil, than any other president in American history. That would be a most unfortunate distinction at any time. But it is particularly so today: with all that is transpiring in the world, in Iran, North Korea, Georgia, Somalia, Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan, this is the time for strength and confidence, not for apologizing to America’s critics.
I do not believe that the cause of freedom ended with the close of the last century, nor that America can afford complacency in its defense. America is still the hope of the world. We must confront clearly and courageously the threats to freedom, and we must resolutely sustain the capabilities we need to protect our security and sustain the cause of .
The current leadership in Washington is hardly in a position to complain about the cost of the defense budget. Over the last few months, it has passed measures that will add almost $4 trillion to the national debt in the short term and then over $3 trillion over the next ten years. None of that money was spent on increasing the defense modernization budget—a failure that history will never understand or excuse. For a fraction of the money that was spent on various domestic and social programs, Washington could have given our servicemen and women the tools they need to defend us for a generation.
After all, the first and highest duty of government is to provide for the common defense. Backing away from missile defense, and depleting the defense budget to fund new social programs, particularly in the face of global turmoil, would put America and Americans at risk.
We cannot allow the economic crisis to conceal the very real threats to our nation’s security. We cannot ignore the intentions of competitors who would replace America’s leadership with their own, and set back the cause of freedom. Providence has blessed us and trusted us to safeguard liberty; in a time of confusion at home and challenge abroad, let ours be the voice of clarity and good sense—confident in our cause, and faithful in the care of freedom".
Read full speech here
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