Ironically, it is the Republicans who have prided themselves in recent years as the party that took up President John F. Kennedy’s call to “pay any price” and “bear any burden” in defense of liberty. But both Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan, display little or no interest in foreign affairs, apart from assuring voters that Israel’s interests will be safeguarded, Iran’s will not be, and whatever the US does must be tough and strident.
而当罗姆尼正式在共和党大会上正式接受该党总统候选人提名时，他也绝口不提美军战事，结果被民主党在一周后的党大会上抓住这一点大做文章。讽刺的是，在近几年中贯彻肯尼迪总统“不惜一切代价”、“战胜一切负担”捍卫自由的口号最力、并以此为荣的正是共和党。但不管是罗姆尼还是其竞选搭档莱恩似乎都不对外交事务感兴趣，除了向选民保证以色列的利益将得到保证、伊朗的图谋将不可能实现、美国不论做什么都将面临艰巨而困难的局面之外。