WASHINGTON — Republican challenger Mitt Romney accused President Barack Obama’s administration Wednesday of showing weakness in the face of tumultuous events that left four U.S. diplomats dead in the Middle East and jolted the race for the White House. Obama retorted that his rival “seems to have a tendency to shoot first and aim later.”
Even some Republicans questioned Romney’s handling of the issue, calling it hasty. Top GOP leaders in Congress declined to endorse his criticism of the president.
Obama said, “It’s important for you to make sure that the statements that you make are backed up by the facts. And that you’ve thought through the ramifications before you make ’em.”
Obama’s criticism, in an interview with CBS, stood in contrast to his appearance outside the White House earlier in the day. Then, he mourned the deaths and announced the deployment of additional Marines at diplomatic posts overseas.
The political fallout came as U.S. officials investigated whether the attack in Libya was a terrorist strike. Initial reports were that both the Libya and Egypt events had been motivated by anger over an amateur film made in the U.S. that ridiculed Islam’s prophet Muhammad.
Either way, some Republicans joined Democrats in questioning Romney’s decision to inject himself into the situation thousands of miles away with his critical statement Tuesday night.
“It’s disgraceful that the Obama administration’s first response was not to condemn attacks on our diplomatic missions, but to sympathize with those who waged the attacks,” said Romney’s statement, issued about 10:30 p.m.
He followed up with morning remarks in which he blasted the administration’s initial statement from Cairo as disgraceful and “akin to apology.”
He added, “It’s never too early for the United States government to condemn attacks on Americans and to defend our values.”
While Obama initially chose not to respond to Romney, he shed his reluctance later in the day and compared Romney’s reaction unfavorably to the way many other Republicans responded.
“And so I think if you look at how most Republicans have reacted, most elected officials, they reacted responsibly,” Obama said. “Waiting to find out the facts before they talked, making sure that our No. 1 priority is the safety, the security of American personnel. It appears that Gov. Romney didn’t have his facts right.”
Top Republican leaders in Congress did not come to Romney’s defense. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said Obama “correctly tightened the security overseas.” Asked about Romney’s remarks, he declined to answer.
