Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu is offering rare praise of Sen. Mitt Romney, arguing he was right in 2012 when he said that Russia was the No. 1 U.S. geopolitical foe.
Although Romney received widespread criticism during his 2012 campaign for president for his claim about Russia, Lieu joined a growing chorus saying the events over the last decade, and particularly renewed Russian aggression as the nation prepares for a likely invasion of Ukraine, proved him correct.
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“This action by Putin further confirms that Mitt Romney was right when he called Russia the No. 1 geopolitical foe,” Lieu told CNN. “Now depending on where their forces go, it could determine whether we enter a very large war or not. If Putin merely sends forces into the existing regions in Donbas where the Russian-backed separatists already control those regions, that will be different than if he sent his forces into the regions in which the Ukrainian forces currently control. That could be very bad.”
In 2012, President Barack Obama had a hot mic incident with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in which Obama said he would have more “flexibility” after the presidential election. Romney responded by asserting that Russia was the “No. 1 geopolitical foe” of the United States. Many top Democrats and political analysts criticized him for that assertion, arguing that he was naive on foreign policy.
Mitt Romney was right about Russia, and the Democrats were wrong. pic.twitter.com/ORdcrPGbiI
— jimtreacher.substack.com (@jtLOL) February 22, 2022
Obama said during the third presidential debate that “the 1980s are now calling to ask for their foreign policy back” in response to Romney’s criticisms of Russia.
“I have clear eyes on this. I’m not going to wear rose-colored glasses when it comes to Russia or Mr. Putin. And I’m certainly not going to say to him, I’ll give you more flexibility after the election. After the election, he’ll get more backbone,” Romney said in response.
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Russia’s actions over the last decade have caused analysts to revisit Romney’s remarks during the 2012 election. In 2014, Russia annexed Crimea. The U.S. intelligence community accused them of engaging in a propaganda campaign interfering in the 2016 election. Over recent weeks, Russia has also amassed an estimated 169,000 to 190,000 troops along the Ukrainian border.
The Kremlin announced Monday it would recognize two separatist-held regions in Ukraine, which has drawn widespread international condemnation.
