"Israel trip designed to boost Romney’s foreign expertise
WASHINGTON – Mitt Romney is planning a trip to Israel this summer to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a campaign official, in a trip abroad that could bolster Romney’s foreign policy credentials.
The former Massachusetts governor is planning to meet with a variety of officials while on the trip, including Palestinian Authority President Salam Fayyad; President Shimon Peres of Israel; and American ambassador Daniel B. Shapiro.
News of the trip, first reported by The New York Times, was confirmed by the Romney campaign.
“He’s a strong friend of Israel, and we’ll be happy to meet with him,” Ron Dermer, a senior adviser to Netanyahu, told the Times. “We value strong bipartisan support for Israel and we’re sure it will only deepen that.”
Romney lacks any significant foreign policy experience and has staked much of his 2012 campaign on the domestic economy, which polls indicate is overwhelmingly the top issue for voters.
But making a prominent election-year trip to Israel has long been considered a way to cultivate support among American Jewish voters who agree with Romney that President Obama has thrown Israel “under the bus.”
If Obama's fawning has been throwing them under the bus....
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So what's the main complaint, he hasn't attacked Iran yet?
"McCain defends Romney on plans for trip to Israel
Senator John McCain of Arizona on Sunday defended presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s plan to visit Israel this summer but seemed less enthusiastic about a trip to the London Olympics.
“I really think it’s important that Mitt Romney go to Israel,” McCain said on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” “particularly, since these are the most very dangerous times; as you know, the talks with Iran predictably have failed, and we are facing what could be a serious crisis between Israel and Iran, so I strongly support that.”
Romney’s itinerary includes meetings with Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and president, Shimon Peres. He is also expected to meet with Salam Fayyad, the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority; Daniel B. Shapiro, American ambassador to Israel; and leaders of Israel’s opposition Labor Party.
President Obama made a similar visit to Israel as a candidate in July 2008....
Yeah, yeah, we know they must vet the next president before we are allowed to select one.
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Related: Romney to Jewish donors: ‘I get Israeli briefings’
Also see: Sunday Globe Special: Romney Has the Right Friends
He just clinched the election.
"I would suggest that rather than being "briefed" by Israeli government officials, Romney is told what his position on Israeli/Middle East issues is going to be.
A fast friend of Netanyahu's, Romney is telegraphing that he is Israel's Candidate for the US Presidency.
When Mr. Romney was the governor of Massachusetts, Mr. Netanyahu offered him firsthand pointers on how to shrink the size of government. When Mr. Netanyahu wanted to encourage pension funds to divest from businesses tied to Iran, Mr. Romney counseled him on which American officials to meet with. And when Mr. Romney first ran for president, Mr. Netanyahu presciently asked him whether he thought Newt Gingrich would ever jump into the race. Only a few weeks ago, on Super Tuesday, Mr. Netanyahu delivered a personal briefing by telephone to Mr. Romney about the situation in Iran. “We can almost speak in shorthand,” Mr. Romney said in an interview. “We share common experiences and have a perspective and underpinning which is similar.” Mr. Netanyahu attributed their “easy communication” to what he called “B.C.G.’s intellectually rigorous boot camp.” “So despite our very different backgrounds,” he said through an aide, “my sense is that we employ similar methods in analyzing problems and coming up with solutions for them.” The ties between Mr. Romney and Mr. Netanyahu stand out because there is little precedent for two politicians of their stature to have such a history together that predates their entry into government. And that history could well influence decision-making at a time when the United States may face crucial questions about whether to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities or support Israel in such an action. Mr. Romney has suggested that he would not make any significant policy decisions about Israel without consulting Mr. Netanyahu — a level of deference that could raise eyebrows given Mr. Netanyahu’s polarizing reputation, even as it appeals to the neoconservatives and evangelical Christians who are fiercely protective of Israel." -- Wake the Flock Up