Romney Adviser Stumped When Asked For Specifics Of Romney’s Afghanistan Policy

By Ben Armbruster/Think Progress


Amid charges that Mitt Romney’s Afghanistan policy is, as Foreign Policy recently put it, “unclear and confusing,” Romney campaign adviser Tara Wall on MSNBC this morning could not provide any details on what presumptive GOP presidential nominee plans to do about the war there should he become president.

Noting that Romney is about to embark on a short trip abroad later this month, host Luke Russert relayed a recentreport that two top Republican senators couldn’t explain Romney’s Afghanistan policy and wondered if he has to be more specific. At first, Wall appeared confused, eventually saying — and in keeping with the Romney campaign’s reported policy — she didn’t want to “get into the details” and then tried to shift the conversation back to the economy:

RUSSERT: He was asked by the media what Mr. Romney’s Afghanistan policy [is] and he goes, “What is it?” a Romney supporter and senior member of the Armed Services Committee said. “I think [Romney's policy is] ‘listen to the commanders’ and if it’s that, that’s OK with me.” Does Mitt Romney have to have a more specific policy in Afghanistan prior to going on to this trip?

WALL: Well, you know, look, I think that overall — [pause] — overall, Gov. Romney has been clear about his plans and about this trip and about what his goals are and I think that when you look at protecting and securing the homeland, I think that that is, that’s something that he has articulated over and over again. I’m not going to get into the details of that, I’m here to talk about, again, once again, the job situation, the economy, growth that we need and what this governor is planning on doing in that regard.

Watch the clip:

Perhaps Wall was confused about Romney’s Afghanistan policy because it is indeed very confusing. As the Washington Post reported late last year, Romney “has not explained what he thinks the U.S. mission in Afghanistan is at this point and what would constitute success.”

When Foreign Policy asked Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) last week what he thought Romney’s Afghanistan policy is, the Arizona Republican was equally bemused. “You would have to tell me what exactly you mean by ‘his policy.’ That’s a long discussion that I don’t want to get into,” hesaid.