Mitt Romney on Wednesday stood by his criticism of the Obama administration for its early response to the attack on the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, even as he and President Obama mourned the murder of four Americans including the U.S. ambassador in a separate attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya.
Romney said the administration's initial response to the attack in Cairo was "akin to apology" and a "severe miscalculation."
Both assaults were linked to a video being promoted in the U.S. that ridiculed Islam's Prophet Muhammad. The U.S. Embassy in Cairo at first issued a statement saying, in part, that it condemns "the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims -- as we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions."
The Romney campaign issued a statement overnight calling that response "disgraceful," prompting criticism from the Obama campaign. The Obama campaign accused Romney of launching a "political attack" as reports were first surfacing that one American had been killed. By Wednesday morning, the death count was at four.
Romney, as he condemned the Libya attack during a stop in Jacksonville, Fla., also stood by his criticism of Obama.
"It reflects the mixed signals they're sending in the world," Romney said, calling it a "disgraceful statement on the part of the administration to apologize for American values."
The Obama administration reportedly disavowed the Cairo Embassy statement, but Romney said Wednesday that "the embassy is the administration."
