Romney Advisers Ask If Obama Is Welcoming ‘Greater Weakness and Inconstancy’

Iraq and Afghanistan: Contrary to the recommendations of your military commanders, you withdrew American forces from Iraq without leaving an appropriate training force behind. And contrary to the recommendations of your military commanders, you have begun to draw down American forces in Afghanistan according to a politically driven timetable that makes no strategic sense. Stability in both countries is now at greater risk. If you are reelected, would “flexibility” lead you to abandon completely American commitments, notwithstanding the enormous sacrifices American forces have made, and with little regard for our national security?

The Castros and Chavez: Your administration has relaxed sanctions on the brutal Castro regime in Cuba and has done little to counter the growing influence of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez throughout Latin America. Would post-election “flexibility” lead you to take an even softer line toward these authoritarian regimes?

Defense Budget: Your administration has proposed cutting $487 billion from the defense budget over 10 years and supports a budget process that may bring that number up to nearly $1 trillion. While spending explodes elsewhere in the budget, would post-election “flexibility” lead you to impose even deeper cuts that will cripple our military?

In a democracy, no issues are more important than those pertaining to national security. The American people deserve full and frank answers to these questions, or at least the same level of candor you have offered to Russia’s leaders.

Sincerely,

Grant Aldonas

Leon Aron

Cofer Black

John Bolton

Christopher Burnham

Eliot Cohen

Norm Coleman

Paula Dobriansky

Eric Edelman

Aaron Friedberg

Nile Gardiner

Kerry Healey

Kim Holmes

Robert Joseph

Robert Kagan

John Lehman

Kent Lucken

Mary Beth Long

William Martel

Tibor Nagy

Andrew Natsios

Robert O’Brien

Meghan O’Sullivan

Walid Phares

Stephen Rademaker

Mitchell Reiss

Daniel Runde

Daniel Senor

James Shinn

Kristen Silverberg

Clifford Sobel

Jim Talent

Ray Walser

Richard Williamson

Dov Zakheim

Roger Zakheim