Look Closer: Romney's Overseas Trip Was a Triumph

Mitt Romney's overseas trip was a gaffe-filled disaster, right? Not so, argues Charles Krauthammer in the Washington Post. Yes, his misguided criticism of London's Olympic preparation qualifies as a blooper, but that's it. Romney gave smart, non-boilerplate speeches in Israel and Poland and was received warmly by both important allies, but all that got overshadowed by coverage of his supposed gaffe on Palestinian culture and an aide's not-so-polite directives to reporters. Krauthammer rejects both criticisms.

Romney's Palestinian comments were a "direct echo" of a report written by Arab scholars that, among other things, criticized rampant corruption and backwardness on women's rights. As for that grievous insult to the media, recall that John Kerry's wife told a reporter to "shove it" in 2004 ... and won praise. "Scorecard? Romney’s trip was a major substantive success: one gaffe (Britain), two triumphs (Israel and Poland), and a fine demonstration of foreign-policy fluency and command—wrapped, however, in a media narrative of surpassing triviality." Click for Krauthammer's full column. (More Mitt Romney 2012 stories.)