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bjbj U.S. Global Leadership Coalition Impact 2012 Symposium July 17, 2012 Foreign Policy
and the Presidential Election Norm Coleman (R-MN) Former U.S. Senator Romney for President
Surrogate CHRIS POLICINSKI: Well, good afternoon. I m Chris Policinski, president and CEO of
Land O Lakes and a proud board member of the USGLC. s my honor today to introduce Norm
Coleman, former senator from the great state of Minnesota and a key foreign policy adviser
to Governor Mitt Romney. Senator Coleman is no stranger to the subject of American global
engagement. Elected to the Senate in 2002, he was an influential Republican voice for
smart investments in the international affairs budget, leading the charge in support of vital
programs year after year. And as an active member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee,
Senator Coleman was known as an insightful, articulate advocate for American interests
abroad. He may have left the U.S. Senate, but Norm Coleman has certainly continued his
leadership role in the public policy arena. Among his many activities, he serves as chairman
of the board of the American Action Network and as a board member of the National Endowment
for Democracy. He understands as well as anyone the importance of political advocacy in advancing
issues of diplomacy and development. And so he serves on both the board of ONE Vote 2012
and the USGLC s National Advisory Council. And perhaps most importantly, did I mention
he s from the great state of Minnesota? s here with us today as a top foreign policy
adviser to Governor Romney in his presidential campaign. Please join me in welcoming Governor
Romney s foreign policy surrogate, Senator Norm Coleman. (Applause.) NORM COLEMAN: Thank
you. Thank you, Chris. When Chris was he really wanted to talk about when I was mayor of St.
Paul. When I was mayor of St. Paul, one of the things I did as mayor is I brought professional
hockey back to St. Paul. And now and in Minnesota in Minnesota, you bring hockey back to the
state, people think you can walk on water. The reality is you can walk on water six months
of the year in Minnesota (laughter) so it s not like it s a miracle, but it was a very
big deal and probably got me to the Senate. I want to applaud Chris and the work that
Land O Lakes and so many other great corporate citizens in our state and our country do.
He and Greg Page, the CEO of Cargill, penned, oh, about a year ago, an op-ed that talked
about the importance of foreign assistance. Land O Lakes has efforts, projects in Africa
in which they re teaching Africans American technology. I, by the way, have a son, Jake,
who is 6 foot 5, and I tell folks the reason for him to be 6 foot 5 is Minnesota bovine
products, and Land O Lakes is probably responsible for that. So Chris, thank you for all that
you do. It is a pleasure to be here among friends. And by the way, I have to applaud
the USGLC for honoring Lindsey Graham and Pat Leahy tonight. They Lindsey is one of
my dearest, dearest friends. In the Senate, you have to be careful because when somebody
when you when you say somebody is your friend on the floor of the Senate (inaudible) my
friend, the senator from so and so, what comes next isn t always very nice. But Lindsey truly
is a great friend, and I have been on a number of codels, trips around the world, with Pat
Leahy. These folks really care. And I have to tell you, caring about what goes on in
the world doesn t always score you points back home. For me, being a United States senator,
being involved in conversation about America s place in the world was really important.
But it s not s not always it doesn t bring you, you know, votes back home, but it with
Lindsey Graham, Pat Leahy, you have two great Americans who understand the importance of
America s role in the world and do an outstanding job, and I m really pleased that you re honoring
them tonight. m honored to be associated with the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, serving
on its advisory council. I m humbled, as Chris said, to be co-chair of ONE Vote 2012 with,
again, my good friend Governor Mike Huckabee, and on the other side of the aisle, Blanche
Lincoln and Tom Daschle. In this time of bitter partisan divide in Washington, it s a true
joy to be able to reach across the aisle and to work with folks in the for the purpose
of fighting AIDS, promoting clean water, malaria prevention. So it s a humbling and an honor.
m here today on behalf of Governor Mitt Romney. Now, in Minnesota, we all know the Scandinavian
who loved his wife so much he almost told her. (Laughter.) And, well, in D.C. we have
folks who care so much, they almost do something. But Mitt Romney is different. He both cares
and he knows how to get things done. That s why I support him for president. He spent
25 years in the private sector, helped start such household names as Staples, Domino s
and the Sports Authority. He helped create over 100,000 jobs. Though a president must
do many things, keeping us safe foremost among them, he must also understand that we will
remain safe only so long as our economy remains strong. Restoring America s fiscal health
is a is a top priority for Governor Romney. The American economy is suffering today, and
our capacity to lead is being undermined by economic weakness. Today domestic prosperity
is intertwined with our security and international stability, and U.S. leadership is critical
to international stability. When I was mayor of St. Paul folks would often come to me and
say, Mayor, what are you doing for kids today? And response was that the best thing I could
do for a kid today is make sure mom and dad has an opportunity for a job. Conversation
around the breakfast table is a lot different when mom and dad are going to work, a lot
different. Governor Romney understands what it takes to grow jobs. He has the capacity,
the skill set, the experience and the ability to make that happen. You know, in fact, I
d argue that the governor and the coalition share a common purpose: maintaining U.S. leadership
in the world. Governor Romney likes to say a strong America is the greatest ally peace
has ever known, and I agree. Not for nothing were the last 100 years known as the American
century. We rescued Europe, defeated communism, stood as moral witness to oppression abroad.
We didn t get everything right, but we tried, and the world is better for it. Today we face
an array of challenges: Islamic jihadism, a rising China, an assertive Russia. Each
of these challenges calls for a unique solution, but the overarching answer remains the same:
We need a strong America; we need another American century. And Governor Romney is committed
to keeping us strong. Governor Romney understands that foreign assistance is an instrument of
American soft power and, if spent wisely, can be used to help our friends, undermine
our enemies, enlarge human freedom and support market-led prosperity. At the same time, given
this moment of fiscal hardship, we are going to take a very hard look at how this money
is being spent. And as in other areas, we are going to have to make some hard choices
on what works and what s in America s interest. A Romney administration would use foreign
aid in the following ways: first, to strengthen our national security; second, to promote
economic growth and job creation and do so in ways that benefit not only the developing
country, but the people in this country. We will seek to increase economic and political
freedom in the world. The current administration has sounded an uncertain trumpet at best when
it comes to freedom in the world. Of course, the governor knows that strength comes in
many forms. In 1940 Franklin Roosevelt called America the arsenal of democracy. Each generation
must replenish that arsenal, and not just with guns and bullets. Development and diplomacy
are also important. As Governor Romney says, soft power is real power, and to ensure another
American century, we must wield it with skill and with honor. Unfortunately, we haven t
taken advantage of all our resources, and our standing in the world has suffered for
it. The tools of hard and soft power must work together to be effective. They are complements
to one another, not substitutes. As president, Governor Romney will apply the full spectrum
of hard and soft power to influence events before they erupt into conflict. Today I d
like to explain how he will make use of three resources: our military, our economy and our
moral authority. First, our military. Today our Navy is the smallest it has been since
1917, our Air Force the smallest since 1947. In the next decade we ll cut $487 billion
from the defense budget, and we ll cut another 500 billion (dollars) if Congress doesn t
prevent sequestration. It s tempting to think you can ease up when you re several lengths
ahead, but that s how the frontrunner falls behind. And a show of strength is not an act
of aggression. In 1907 America and Japan were at loggerheads over immigration policy. To
deter war Teddy Roosevelt sent the Great White Fleet on an international tour, with a stop
in Japan. When the American sailors met the Japanese they didn t come to blows; instead,
they played a game of baseball. A strong military is crucial to our efforts. In a word, our
armed forces are deteriorating before our eyes. Second, there is our economy. It s twice
the size of our two closest competitors, China and Japan, and it s 80 percent as large as
the combined economies of the 27 nations of the European Union, yet we haven t used that
soft power to our advantage. For instance, the Chinese government rests its legitimacy
on economic growth, growth powered in large part by our markets. But we haven t used this
leverage to gain China s support in imposing harsh sanctions on Iran. We can t even get
them to respect our intellectual property rights. We should remember Joseph Addison
s quip that a man who is furnished with arguments from the mint will convince his antagonists
much sooner than one who draws them from reason and philosophy. Third, we ve neglected our
moral authority. In 2009, when the Iranian regime brutally suppressed the Green Movement,
this administration fell silent. As protesters died in the street, the White House said they
didn t want to meddle in Iranian affairs. We outsourced our leadership on a civil war
in Syria to Kofi Annan, which The Washington Post labels a diplomatic disaster. And we
stood by as China has continued its human rights abuses. This is an abdication of American
moral authority. What s more, we haven t even been very good friends to our allies. We let
our free trade deals with Colombia, Panama and South Korea languish for years, our negotiation
over the Trans-Pacific Partnership have stalled and since 2009 we ve negotiated no new trade
agreements, while China and the EU have negotiated dozens. Our trade and investment with developing
countries are many times bigger than foreign aid. A Romney administration would put expanding
free trade back at the center of Americans foreign and economic policy because it would
create jobs in this country and reduce poverty in developing nations and is a source of power
and influence for the United States. And even when we do help out, too few people know about
it. America spends far more in aid in Latin America than Fidel and Raul Castro do, but
their aid is better-known and therefore at times seems to be more effective. That s absurd.
Americans make up just 4.5 percent of the world s population, and we donate 12 percent
of global foreign aid, almost twice as much as any other country. We should never let
our generosity be outshone by empty gestures from the likes of Chavez and Castro. In all
three areas, Governor Romney will harness both hard power and soft power to promote
open markets, representative government and respect for human rights. Here s how. First,
he ll stop sequestration. This administration s own defense secretary has called these cuts
devastating to our national security. But they don t threaten only our hard power, but
our soft power as well. They will slash into foreign operations accounts. We should be
strategic about our foreign aid, and an across-the-board cut in security spending is indiscriminate
and reckless. It s a sign that Washington is broken. We need a leader who can fix it,
someone who can reach across the aisle and forge solution. As a former Republican mayor
in a Democrat city, I think we have just the man for the job in Governor Romney, a former
Republican governor of a Democratic state. Second, Governor Romney will make use of our
economic clout. He ll impose new sanction on Iran s economy, unlike the current administration,
fully implement the sanctions in place. And he ll get touch with China on issues like
currency abuse. Anyone with business experience knows that you can succeed in negotiation
only if you re willing to walk away. If we want the Chinese to play by the rules, if
we truly want free trade, we ve got to enforce them. Third, the governor will re-establish
our moral authority. He ll speak out about human rights abuses in places like Iran, China
and Russia. He ll encourage all nations to respect the rule of law, protect human dignity,
defend the unalienable rights of man. The path from authoritarianism to representative
government isn t always a straight line. History teaches us that nations that share our values
will be our most reliable partners. Governor Romney will look to expand economic liberty
and free trade. In his first hundred days he ll launch a campaign to promote economic
opportunity in Latin America and to contrast the benefits of democracy and free enterprise
with the material and moral bankruptcy of the Chavez and Castro models. He ll also create
the Reagan economic zone, a partnership among countries committed to free enterprise and
free trade. It will open markets for our goods and services and reverse the trend we ve seen
in recent years, with China negotiating multiple free trade agreements in Asia and Latin America
and hundreds of trade agreements with other Asian nations, none of which none of which
now include the United States. Given how generous we are as a country, foreign assistance can
also reflect the soul of America when we share our God-given blessings with others. In the
developing world, religion holds a more central place in daily life. So if we are not partnering
with the faith community in an effective way, we re partnering with the wrong people. Yet
this administration has taken a number of steps that have undermined the ability of
faith-based organizations to accomplish their missions in countries that are crying out
for their assistance, for example, by cutting aid to faith-based organizations for ideological
reasons and issuing executive orders that seek to force religious organizations to make
decisions that go against their most fundamental beliefs. The Romney administration will not
tie USAID funding to compliance with a social agenda that is antagonistic to faith-based
organizations. Many of you can applaud on that. That s OK. (Chuckles.) (Scattered applause.)
Many of America s most effective development groups are faith-based, and they will have
no stronger friend, no stronger partner than a Romney administration. Finally, Governor
Romney will rework our entire approach to soft power. After World War II, Harry Truman
reorganized the military by dividing the world into regions and assigning a single command
at each region. That person became responsible for his region the priorities, the programs,
the objectives, everything and it works. Governor Romney will do the same for soft power. He
will empower leadership in each region to be able to act effectively, innovatively,
and to execute plans uniquely designed to succeed in that region. Unfortunately, American
foreign aid is constrained by too many layers of rules and regulations and contradictory
oversight, too opaque, too captive to interest groups, done by too many bureaucracies and
too often falls short of reflecting our national interest. No more delays, no more red tapes.
This coalition will find a partner in Governor Romney. He knows that, as George H.W. Bush
once said, strength and clarity lead to peace; weakness and ambivalence lead to war. But
he also knows that America s mission in the world is not to rattle her saber but to preserve
peace and goodwill among all nations. Governor Romney will recommit us to that mission. The
other day I was in Liberia and I had a chance to meet President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, a
remarkable, remarkable leader. Her country has had a history of a troubled history, two
civil wars in the past 20 years, 250,000 lives lost. Eighty-five percent of its people live
below the poverty line. I believe there are about 5 million people in Liberia and about
less than 5800 are on the grid. But as President Johnson Sirleaf told me, they re making progress.
2005, Liberia held its first democratic election in years, and last year she just won re-election.
Liberia is also making economic progress with our help. With U.S. assistance, they are expanding
access to electricity, rebuilding roads, training teachers, improving access to health care.
President Johnson Sirleaf says her vision for Liberia is not one of continued dependency
on aid. She told me Liberia s goal is to be a self-sufficient company country, where capital
is invested in job growth and innovation flourishes. And I m proud that we re helping them reach
that goal. I think that s exactly the kind of work that we need to be doing. We believe
in promoting liberty, opportunity and human rights across the board. My trip to Liberia
reconfirmed my belief that America remains the world s last best hope. As an exceptional
country we have an important role to play in shaping the world in ways that increase
freedom and prosperity. America is hurting economically. We have to be able to justify
using these limited dollars to the American taxpayer. At the same time, if spent right,
foreign assistance can be one of the ways we ensure that the 21st century is an American
century. I m proud to see the United States taking the lead in that effort, and I can
assure you that Governor Romney will keep our country in the forefront of diplomacy
and development. There is a ll end with just two stories. There s a little town in kind
of western Minnesota. It s called New York Mills. And every year they have what they
call the Great American Think-Off. They have great philosophers and teachers and lawyers,
and they all sorts of folks. They invite them to pose they pose an interesting question
and invite all comers to give a two-minute answer, which, by the way, probably rules
out senators and governors from participating. (Scattered laughter.) A few years back I heard
the question of the year was: What is the meaning of life? Hundreds of thinkers, philosophers,
preachers, regular people came to venture, and after venture an answer. After several
hours a young girl walked up to the microphone and said this: The meaning of life is to do
permanent good. The chair of the event immediately adjourned the meeting because they had their
answer. The people in this room understand that. That s what you re all about. One of
my favorite quotes is the Jewish philosopher Maimonides, 12th century, doctor, rabbi, teacher.
He once said each of us should view ourselves if the world were held in balance, and any
single act of goodness in our part could tip the scales. The world is held in balance,
and the single act of goodness that the folks in this room, that the folks in the U.S. Global
Leadership Coalition support they re changing the world. They re tipping the balance. They
know the meaning is to do permanent good. And I m just here to tell you that you will
have no stronger friend in doing that good than Governor Mitt Romney. Thank you, and
God bless. (Applause.) PAGE \* MERGEFORMAT gdTX gdTX hm=9 h|X` gd*# hm=9 gd*# [Content_Types].xml
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