John Heilemann: Romney Surrounded By Pro-Interventionist Advisers ‘In The Neocon Camp’

Clinging tightly to a studied vagueness when pressed for unpopular specifics, Mr. Romney has put forward a budget framework that would not eviscerate Medicare and Social Security, as is commonly believed, but would slash everything else that’s not defense.

President Obama should use Tuesday night’s debate to press Mr. Romney to defend — or even just explain — these proposed cuts, which would be far more draconian than those advanced by his running mate, Paul D. Ryan. Mr. Ryan is widely viewed as the real fiscal hawk, but in key areas, his views on spending levels are actually closer to Mr. Obama’s than to Mr. Romney’s.

Panelist John Heilemann later argued that — as “cheap” as he conceded this talking point may be — Romney has surrounded himself with people who are “in the neocon camp” when it comes to foreign policy and defense and are, thus, rather “pro-intervention” when compared to other pockets within the GOP. He also noted that Romney has difficulty presenting a contrast against Obama on foreign policy because there really aren’t too many differences between the two — except, perhaps, when it comes to intervention in Syria.
 

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