During the 2012 presidential campaign, GOP candidate Mitt Romney called Russia “without question our No. 1 geopolitical foe,” a comment that was mocked by many Democrats and members of the press. One of those belittling the Republican's remark was MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell, who admitted that the foreign country is “hardly an ally, but certainly not an adversary.”
Two years later, the host of Andrea Mitchell Reports tweeted: “Obama sends Putin a letter today accusing Russia of violating 1987 Reagan/Gorbachev missile treaty. Who says the Cold War isn't back?” The vast majority of posters responded: “You did!”
According to a July 29 article in the New York Times:
The United States has concluded that Russia violated a landmark arms control treaty by testing a prohibited ground-launched cruise missile, according to senior American officials, a finding that was conveyed by President Obama to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia in a letter on Monday.
It is the most serious allegation of an arms control treaty violation that the Obama administration has leveled against Russia and adds another dispute to a relationship already burdened by tensions over the Kremlin’s support for separatists in Ukraine and its decision to grant asylum to Edward J. Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor.
However, that kind of action was totally dismissed by Mitchell in 2012, when she said that the Republican candidate's words were “a throwback to the Cold War” since “we work with Russia all the time. Hardly an ally, but certainly not an adversary.”
One of the first responses to the MSNBC host's turnaround came from Howard Kurtz, who stated that Romney is “having an I-told-you-so moment in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, even if he’s too polite to say he told us so.”
The host of Fox News Channel's Media Buzz program described the initial reaction to Romney's comment:
It was widely considered a gaffe back in 2012 when the Republican candidate told Wolf Blitzer that Russia “is without question our No. 1 geopolitical foe. They fight every cause for the world’s worst actors.”
Well, you would have thought that Romney had declared that the Martians were about to invade. He was roundly mocked and criticized by much of the mainstream media, especially from the left.
Other online posters came after Mitchell with all guns blazing, including @Cary_Hansen, who answered the MSNBC's host question by stating: “You did, Andrea, along with other MSM Obama acolytes who championed BHO's inaccurate 2012 debate statements.”
“You said it wasn't back,” @1979amish replied. “Repeatedly. To the detriment of a presidential candidate.”
“Well, you for one,” @robertcaruso responded. “You railed on Romney in 2012. Ironic to see your stance now. Well, not ironic now.”
@WrongNowShutUp responded: “Please Andrea, tell us again how silly Romney's take on Russia was. It was so good last time; we need to hear it now.”
“Remember when Obama mocked Romney about the Russian threat?” @GregAbbott_TX asked, but in the end, “Romney was right."
Other tweeters turned their attention to the crisis at hand.
“So the Russians are violating a missile treaty,” @IstanbulGilliam stated. “Are we surprised?”
Speaking of surprises, @kesfardner noted: “Putin is now sufficiently unworried about Obama to begin violating nuclear missile treaties. No surprise here.”
@kirksorensen continued the theme by declaring: “Obama is shocked, shocked that Russia isn't obeying treaties.”
Megyn Kelly, host of the Fox News Channel's weeknight program The Kelly File, piped in by stating that frequent contributor Judge Andrew Napolitano called the “1987 treaty that Russia reportedly violated 'the most important that Reagan ever signed.'”
“Moscow has long violated the INF (Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces) treaty,” @ChristianWhiton added. “O's threat today he is 'prepared to engage in senior-level bilateral dialogue immediately' is weak.”
“Time for the United States to rip up the START II Treaty and install missile defense systems in Poland and the Czech Republic,” @Rahsaan Ball advised.
@JimPethokoukis summarized the matter with a clever remark: “Russia didn't reset, it reloaded.”
At a press conference today, the president denied that the situation is the start of a new Cold War, but he did spell out tougher sanctions from both the United States and the European Union, some of which he says target Russia’s energy sector.
@derekahunter agreed that this situation is not a new Cold War because in the first one, “we seriously opposed Russia,” but now, “we're just slapping their wrist.”
