I Owe an Apology

Not that long ago Mitt Romney was running for president.  During the campaign he got a foreign policy question as part of debate.  He was asked who represented the greatest threat to the United States.  His answer was the Russians.

At the time the answer sounded remarkably tone deaf.  The Russians had been in a decline for many years.   I am fairly certain this was before Crimea and the trouble in Ukraine.  I know for certain it was amid US conflicts in the Middle East.  We still had troops in Afghanistan.  This was, I think in the middle of developments in Libya.  Things were probably just getting wound up in Syria.  The news was all about the advancing of Al Qaeda and we were all wondering about Caliphate.

Even with all of that Romney said Russia.  Commentators on the news talked about how out of date that conclusion was.  I personally had the same thought and used it as a reason to think less of him as a candidate - not that it was likely he would have gotten my vote anyway.

I guess I couldn't have been more wrong.

What was it do you think that he knew that we didn't?  Would things be materially different if the news media, rather than dismissing him as being out of touch had followed up with him to find out just what it was that had him concerned?  I don't know if what had him concerned were the kinds of things that have come to light since, but even if they weren't I guess there was the possibility that increased scrutiny of the Russians during that period might have made them less bold down the line.

Syria, Brexit, the US 2016 election, the Russians apparently had their hands into all of these things and many more.  Did Mitt Romney know this sort of thing was going to happen?  At this point I certainly wish we had paid more attention.

Mr.. Romney, I owe you an apology.  I'm sorry.