Blinking on the Middle East

I can still remember when I was a young girl, my family would gather for prayer every day, and in those prayers we would ask for the protection and release of the hostages in Iran.

I wasn’t old enough to understand what had happened at the embassy in Iran, or why the Americans were being held there.  But to a little girl, 444 days seemed like a life time.  I still remember the day the hostages were released.

Now, all these years later, once again, one of our American diplomatic missions was stormed, the US consulate in Benghazi. Only this time, no hostages were taken. Four US citizens were murdered.  We pray now for the families of those who were lost.

When the hostages were taken in Iran, President Carter faced criticism for his seemingly hesitant reaction.  This weakened the US in Iran.  Many believe Carter’s blinking cost him the presidential election against Ronald Reagan.

We are still finding out details regarding the security lapses, the misjudgments, the implications of the tragedy in Benghazi.  How did a nation that had just assisted in overthrowing Libya’s Gaddafi suffer such an attack on their consulate? Who did it? What is the appropriate response? And when? 

Will the hesitant reaction of the US administration weaken the US in the Middle East? We have yet to see if Obama’s reaction will cost him the election. 

But one thing is for certain—if Mitt Romney is president, we can count on swift, strong, and certain response to such situations. And, more importantly, we can count on an increase in our military strength and presence, especially when requested, avoiding such tragedies in the first place. 

Romney understands the importance of America’s strength on the world stage. He will assure that we are the strongest nation, and he will not apologize for it.  He will act in such ways as to not only defend that position, but to maintain our status as the greatest nation on earth.