Romney called Russia the nation's #1 geopolitical foe

Romney: “There's No Question But That In Terms Of Geopolitics... Russia Is The Number One Adversary.” [Situation Room, CNN, 07/30/12]

Romney Agreed Russia Was Still Our Chief Political Foe And Said “Russia Is A Geopolitical Opponent, And In That Regard I Think We’ve Seen Very Clearly That They Continue To Pursue A Course Which Is Antithetical To The Interests Of Our Nation.” [Kilmeade and Friends, Fox News Radio, 06/19/12]

Editorial: That Romney Considers Russia To Be America’s “No. 1 Geopolitical Foe” Showed “Either A Shocking Lack Of Knowledge About International Affairs Or Just Craven Politics.” [Editorial, New York Times, 03/29/12]

Romney's "Cold War Mindset"

Republicans, Democrats And Russians All Have Suggested Romney Was “Stuck In A Cold War Mind-Set.” “Mitt Romney’s recent declaration that Russia is America’s top geopolitical adversary drew raised eyebrows and worse from many Democrats, some Republicans and the Russians themselves, all of whom suggested that Mr. Romney was misguidedly stuck in a cold war mind-set. But his statement was not off the cuff — and it was not the first time Mr. Romney had stirred debate over his hawkish views on Russia.” [New York Times, 05/11/12]

Constantly Referred to Russia as "the Soviets"

“The Romney Team … Seemed Dated” On Foreign Policy With References To “Soviets” And “Czechoslovakia.” “Still, it was the Romney team that seemed dated. Pierre Prosper, who was an ambassador handling war-crimes issues for President George W. Bush, accused Mr. Obama of appeasing Russia by abandoning plans to put a missile defense site in ‘Czechoslovakia’ — a nation that has not existed since the early 1990s. John F. Lehman, a secretary of the Navy in the Reagan administration, said the ‘Soviets’ were capitalizing on Mr. Obama’s weakening of the American military.” [New York Times, 04/26/12]

Romney Repeatedly Referred To Russians As “Soviets.” “Trying to hit Barack Obama for not standing up to Russia as aggressively as McCain after the invasion of Georgia, Romney twice referred to ‘the Soviets,’ prompting a reporter to point out his mistake. ‘I’m sorry,’ Romney said. ‘Excuse me for the slip; if I said Soviets, I meant the Russians." But then he went on. ‘Poland is in NATO,’ he said. ‘And if the Soviets were to invade Poland, we might be in armed conflict. But the Soviets are not going to invade Poland, because Poland is in NATO.’” [Salon, 08/26/08]

The Cold War: A Simpler Time

Romney Said Things Were “Simpler When It Was Just The Soviet Union Versus The United States” And Threats Are “More Varied” Now. “It was a lot simpler when it was just the Soviet Union versus the United States but now it’s much broader and the threats are a more varied level so it'll take a little longer to get through this.” [Hannity Radio Interview, 10/03/11]

Romney: The Cold War “Simplified The Selection Of Military Priorities” Since “We Could Assess Where We Stood By Counting The Soviet Union’s Comparable Weapons” But Today “Our Military Has More Missions.” “In some respects, the long and very expensive Cold War simplified the selection of military priorities. The arms race was a two-party contest; we could assess where we stood by counting the Soviet Union’s comparable weapons. The end of the Cold War and the resulting eruption of conflicts around the world, however, have expanded the number and the nature of threats. Today, even at a moment when we remain the world’s only true superpower, our military has more missions, not fewer.” [Romney, No Apology: Case For American Greatness, 03/02/10]

Praised Cold War Defense Spending

Romney Compared His Desire To Increase Military Spending Today To President Reagan Doubling The Defense Budget – Which He Claimed “Pressured The Soviets Into A Corner And Paved The Way For Unprecedented Years Of Global Peace, Prosperity, And Progress For Democracy.” “One of President Reagan’s first and most important actions was to secure two double-digit increases in the defense budget. For this, he was widely criticized by those who thought his actions were provocative. But history proved Reagan right and his critics wrong. The funds were used to recapitalize America’s military, using the information-age technology that American ingenuity had brought to the marketplace. It was that modern military that pressured the Soviets into a corner and paved the way for unprecedented years of global peace, prosperity, and progress for democracy. The same opportunity is available to us today. America has the capability to protect against the full spectrum of threats that confront us. The question is whether America’s leaders have the clarity of vision to stand for a renewal of the defensive power necessary to protect the cause of freedom in the twenty-first century.” [Romney, No Apology: Case For American Greatness, 03/02/10]