Mitt Romney and the lure of neo-imperialism By Robert Grenier

Mitt Romney sees himself in a role analogous to that of Ronald Reagan [GALLO/GETTY]

Washington, DC - It would be easy to dismiss Mitt Romney's Washington Post op-ed of this past week regarding US policy towards Iran as yet more self-serving blather in a political season already rife with it. No doubt, many who read the Republican presidential candidate's harsh criticism of President Obama's Iran policy were inclined to think so, and there were many obvious reasons why they should. First was the former Massachusetts governor's somewhat imaginative account of the reasons for the Iranians' release of the US embassy hostages some 30 years ago, on the day of President Reagan's inauguration. In Romney's telling, the Iranian government, having toyed with the "feckless" Jimmy Carter for 444 days, was so impressed with the transparently steely resolve of the incoming former state governor and movie actor that it preemptively capitulated, rather than incur his wrath. Precisely how the Iranians were so prescient, given that Reagan had uttered not a word of public criticism of his predecessor's policy on the hostages, is unexplained. In-depth coverage of the US presidential election Candidate Romney, though, sees himself in a role analogous to that of his Republican idol, himself also called to save the US from the depredations of Persia's rogue ayatollahs. Only now, rather than merely saving incarcerated diplomats, this latter-day Reagan has received a higher calling, to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. How will he do it?  Why, by showing "resolve". From his own account, he'd better show a lot of it, for if he doesn't, these "Islamic fanatics", the very ones who took our diplomats hostage, mind, will set about putting nuclear bombs into the hands of terrorists and otherwise trying mightily to annihilate Israel. Or so he would have us believe. A new policy? READ MORE