FOXNews.com: Romney: 'Hope Is Not a Strategy' For America's Foreign Policy

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Romney: 'Hope Is Not a Strategy' For America's Foreign Policy Oct 8th 2012, 17:06 Mitt Romney called Monday for a change of course in U.S. foreign policy -- saying the recent, deadly attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya is part of a "profound upheaval" and that "hope is not a strategy."  Romney was speaking Monday at the Virginia Military Institute, in what was billed as a major address. It marked one of the candidate's final opportunities before Election Day to explain his foreign policy vision amid turmoil in the Middle East and North Africa and increasing hostility against the United States.  "The attacks on America last month should not be seen as random acts. They are expressions of a larger struggle that is playing out across the broader Middle East -- a region that's now in the midst of the most profound upheaval in a century," Romney said. "I know the president hopes for a safer, freer, and a more prosperous Middle East allied with us. I share this hope," Romney continued. "But hope is not a strategy. We can't support our friends and defeat our enemies in the Middle East when our words are not backed up by deeds."  The Obama campaign tried to undercut Romney's speech with a TV ad and lengthy memo Monday morning questioning whether the Republican candidate would move beyond "swagger and slogans" and talk specifics.  The campaign claimed Romney has "repeatedly taken positions outside of the mainstream and often to the right of even George W. Bush" and "wants to take us back to the same with-us-or-against-us approach that got us into wars without getting us out of them."  Romney's foreign policy positions have received mixed reviews. Conservatives back his tough talk on Iran and his criticism of the Obama administration for its perceived frosty relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.  However, Democrats mocked Romney at their convention in Charlotte for the Republican candidate's alleged missteps -- such as questioning whether London was prepared for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games during his visit there days before the kick-off.  He also drew criticism from the administration for lashing out at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo for its handling of protests over an anti-Islam film. The Romney critique came as reports were first emerging that the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other Americans had just been killed in a separate attack.  Romney, though, has amplified his criticism of the administration over its handling of the Libya strike. As recently as Thursday he called it a "tragic failure."

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