Rep. Randy Forbes (R-Va.) defended Mitt Romney's criticisms of President Obama following attacks on the U.S. consulates in Egypt and Libya, saying the incidents were signs the administration's foreign policy was “collapsing in many parts around the world.”
“I think what Mitt Romney was doing was recognizing that this is an administration whose foreign policy certainly is collapsing in many parts around the world,” Forbes told CNN’s "Starting Point" on Wednesday.
In a statement Tuesday, Romney had criticized the initial administration response to the attacks on the embassies.
It was later confirmed that four Americans had lost their lives, including the U.S. ambassador to Libya, Christopher Stevens.
By Wednesday morning, as the full extent and timeline of the tragedy became known, Romney's statement began to draw fire.
Forbes, though, said the tragedy should spur a reexamination of the administration's policies.
“When you look at what’s happening in Egypt and Libya at this particular point in time — I think what amazes me, though, is the situation at some particular point in time, there needs to be some accountability on behalf of this administration, and to simply attack the Romney campaign for a single statement but not examine the foreign policy flaws of this administration, that doesn’t seem correct,” he said.
The violent attacks, sparked by an anti-Islam video posted to YouTube, have left both the Obama and Romney campaigns grappling with the politics of the matter.
The Romney campaign pounced on a statement issued by the U.S. embassy in Cairo on Tuesday, characterizing it as an apology to anti-American protesters.
In their statement, embassy officials condemned "the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims — as we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions."
The statement, looking to defuse tensions with the protesters, invoked the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
"Americans are honoring our patriots and those who serve our nation as the fitting response to the enemies of democracy," the statement read. "Respect for religious beliefs is a cornerstone of American democracy. We firmly reject the actions by those who abuse the universal right of free speech to hurt the religious beliefs of others."
The White House said it did not approve the statement.
Romney, though, late Tuesday called it "disgraceful that the Obama administration's first response was not to condemn attacks on our diplomatic missions, but to sympathize with those who waged the attacks.”
Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt responded, saying he was “shocked” Romney would try to politicize the issue.
“We are shocked that, at a time when the United States of America is confronting the tragic death of one of our diplomatic officers in Libya, Gov. Romney would choose to launch a political attack,” he said.
