Not Conservative
He's preservative

In their haste to limit Obama to one term, a noble goal, Republicans once more seek the person who seems most likely to win in a match-up with the incumbent, a process that resulted in McCain, Dole and other lacklustre nominees. That explains why they are such losers and why persons like me, who use their brains, rarely vote for Republicans. Make that never.

I am one of millions who find Mitt Romney boring, unappealing and undependable. His dozens of supporters claim he can beat Obama next November. So what? As the Obama administration keep alienating vast population segments, including aliens, the President could lose against "candidate to be named later."

Romney claims he will kill Obamacare, if you believe him. He still defends Obamneycare in Massachusetts, saying it would have been better had he been the governor to administer it.

That's a crucial argument for libertarianism. Government programmes cannot be evaluated on their intentions or goals, but on their results, which are terrible. They create unaccountable, pathetic bureaucracies, so they never turn out as planned.

Romney may be a social conservative, whatever the heck that means, although some in that group don't trust his various conversions.

I am concerned about his foreign policy positions. Folks complained that Herman Cain has no foreign policy expertise. Does Romney? His campaign foreign-policy advisers are primarily from the old George W Bush era, including several who still think invading Iraq was a wonderful idea.

Early in October, Mitten gave a speech delineating his foreign policy proposals before cadets at a military academy in South Carolina, promoting "world leadership" by the US at any cost. He wants more ships, a ballistic-missile defense system and 100,000 more troops. In addition, he wants to boost non-combat military spending to 4% of gross domestic product from the current 3.8%.

In other words, he wants to spend more. Besides killing Obamacare, he promised to "reverse President Obama's massive defence cuts." [Under Obama, defense spending has increased every year. Romney may be referring to proposed spending.]

This is no foreign policy, just a blueprint for ad vancing more illegal military incursions by the United States. It is not a serious position.

Daniel Henninger, Wall Street Journal (13 Oct 2011) writes:

The enthusiasm flowing to Mr Christie came from the same people who had hoped to see Congressman Paul Ryan in the Race, or Mitch Daniels or Jeb Bush. All of them made clear they understood we had arrived at a big moment for the nation. Mr Romney, by contrast, leaves the impression that the country has arrived at his big moment.

[Italicised in original, so emphasis NOT added - GT]

In a Wall Street Journal op-ed (10 Nov 11), Mitt says he won't let Iran get nukes. Bully for him. He attacks Obama's record on Iran, which is broke. So what is Mitten's plan? Station aircraft carriers in the Mediterranean, increase military assistance to Israel and coordinate with allies in the region. Which dependable allies are those, pray tell?

"Only when the ayatollahs no longer have doubts about America's resolved will they abandon their nuclear ambitions," asserts Romney. As the ayatollahs might say, "Whatever. Praise Allah."

— December 19, 2011, Pacifica