Romney Campaign Press Release - "Stronger Now Than When I Came Into Office"?

President Obama Claims That America Is "Stronger Now Than When I Came Into Office":

President Obama: "America remains the one indispensible nation. And the world needs a strong America and it is stronger now than when I came into office." (President Barack Obama, Presidential Debate, Boca Raton, FL, 10/22/12)

But President Obama's Defense Cuts Will Weaken Our National Security And Be "Devastating" To Our Military:

President Obama's FY 2013 Budget Cuts Defense Spending By $487 Billion Over The Next Ten Years. "An array of military programs, from fighter jets to retiree benefits, would be nicked to squeeze savings in the Pentagon's $525 billion budget for 2013, according to officials and documents released Monday. The proposed 2013 budget represents the Pentagon's first installment in a plan to reduce its projected spending by $487 billion over 10 years. Congress must approve the changes." (Tom Vanden Brook "Pentagon Budget Calls For Cuts To Jets, Benefits," USA Today, 2/13/12)

•         Another $500 Billion Will Be Cut If Sequestration Goes Into Effect In January 2013. "The cuts, roughly $500 billion to both defense and non-defense spending, were set in motion after the supercommittee failed to find more than $1 trillion in deficit reduction last year. The Obama administration has said it's not yet planning for the cuts, instead arguing they were never intended to be implemented and urging Congress to find a fix." (Jeremy Herb, "Pentagon's No. 2 Joining Budget Director At Sequester Hearing," The Hill's "DEFCON Hill" Blog, 7/11/12)

"'The Impacts Of These Cuts Would Be Devastating For The Department,' Panetta Wrote Monday In His Letter, Which Was Released By The Senators." (David Alexander, "Panetta Spells Out Budget Cut Doomsday Fears," Reuters, 11/14/11)

President Obama's Policies Have Weakened Our National Security By Allowing Iran To Move Closer To Nuclear Weapon Capability:

Iran Has Succeeded In "Adding Thousands Of Centrifuge Machines To Its Underground Facility" And Has Grown Its Uranium Stockpile. "No firm dates for new negotiations have been set, and Middle East analysts say no breakthrough is likely until after the November election. Meanwhile, Iran's success in adding thousands of centrifuge machines to its underground facility — and the inexorable growth of its uranium stockpile — continues to stoke fears of an Israeli airstrike. It has also left the White House vulnerable to Republican charges that administration policies, while well-intentioned, have ultimately been fruitless." (Joby Warrick, "Obama's Policy On Iran Bears Some Fruit, But Nuclear Program Still Advances," The Washington Post, 9/24/12)

The Washington Post: "The Result Is That President Obama Is Not Even Leading From Behind On Iran; He Is Simply Behind." "The result is that President Obama is not even leading from behind on Iran; he is simply behind. At the forefront of the Western effort to pressure Tehran is French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who issued a statement Monday calling on the European Union, the United States, Japan, Canada and 'other willing countries' to 'immediately freeze the assets of Iran's central bank' and suspend purchases of Iranian oil." (Editorial, "More Half-Measures From Obama Administration On Iran," The Washington Post, 11/22/11)

President Obama Weakened Our Missile Defense System — A Move That Drew "Immediate Cheers In Moscow":

In 2009, President Obama Scrapped Plans For A New Missile Defense System In Europe, "Drawing Immediate Cheers In Moscow And Criticism Elsewhere." "President Barack Obama's decision to drop plans to deploy a ballistic-missile defense shield in Central Europe -- drawing immediate cheers in Moscow and criticism elsewhere -- is a gamble by the U.S. that scaling back its defense ambitions will improve security in the long run." (Peter Spiegel, "U.S. Shelves Nuclear-Missile Shield," The Wall Street Journal, 9/17/09)

"Poland And The Czech Republic Are Still Smarting From President Barack Obama's Decision" To Scrap The Missile Shield. "Poland and the Czech Republic are still smarting from President Barack Obama's decision to scrap Bush-era plans under which they would have hosted elements of an ambitious missile shield to protect against possible long-range attack from Iran." (Gareth Jones, "Poland Ready To Take Part In Obama Missile Defense," Reuters, 10/21/09)

President Obama's Spending Policies Have Weakened America And Added Trillions To The National Debt:

Secretary Of State Hillary Clinton: "Our Rising Debt Levels Poses A National Security Threat ... It Sends A Message Of Weakness Internationally." (Secretary Of State Hillary Clinton, Remarks At The Council Foreign Relations, Washington, DC, 9/8/10)

Under President Obama, The National Debt Has Reached Nearly $16.2 Trillion — An Increase Of $5.5 Trillion. (Department Of The Treasury, Accessed 10/22/12)

President Obama's Policies Have Weakened Our Economy And Left Millions Of Americans Worse Off:

America Has Been Weakened By Record Levels Of Chronic Unemployment — More Than 23 Million Americans Are Unemployed, Underemployed, Or Have Stopped Looking For Work. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 10/16/12)

American Families Have Been Weakened By Declining Incomes That Have Fallen More Than $4,500 Since President Obama Took Office "Median household incomes have fallen 8.2 percent since President Obama took office and continue to drop despite the official end of the  recession, a new study shows. Data compiled by Sentier Research found that since the economic recovery technically began in June 2009, median household income has dropped 5.7 percent. As of August, that median income was $50,678 — also down 1.1 percent from the month prior.  And since Obama took office in January 2009, the median income has fallen 8.2 percent, from $55,198 to its present figure." (Fox News, 9/26/12)

Americans Have Been Weakened By Gas Prices That Have Doubled From $1.85 Per Gallon To $3.70 Per Gallon. (U.S. Energy Information Agency, 10/22/12)

American Families Have Been Weakened By The Rising Cost Of College, Which Has Increased By 25% At Four-Year Public Schools Across The Country. ("Trends In College Pricing," College Board, 2011)

American Families Have Been Weakened By Skyrocketing Health Care Premiums That Have Increased From $12,680 To $15,745 — An Average Increase Of Over $3,000 Per Family. (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2012)

And The Choice Is Clear For The Next Four Years — President Obama's Policies Will Further Weaken America By Hiking Taxes, Killing Jobs And Adding More Debt:

The Annual Cost Of President Obama's Current And Looming Debt Burden Amounts To $4,000 Per Year In Higher Taxes On The Middle Class. "In a new paper, AEI's Matt Jensen looks at the real annual cost of servicing the debt for households at various levels of income — including a potentially higher tax burden. As the table below illustrates, a household making between $100,000 and $200,000 a year could find its tax liability higher by roughly $2,400 every year. Over ten years, that works out to $24,000. And when you add in the debt already accrued the past four years under President Obama (the second table), that's another $1,600 a year. So now we are now talking about $4,000 a year, $40,000 over ten years." (American Enterprise Institute, 10/2/12)

President Obama's Tax Hikes Would Subject Small-Business Owners To Higher Taxes And Would Jeopardize 710,000 Jobs. "Researchers determined the plan would actually subject 2.1 million business owners to higher rates; specifically, those who pay pass-through taxes, like most partnerships, LLCs and S-Corporations. The result, less capital in the hands of business owners and diminished labor supply, would cost the United States an estimated $200 billion in economic output and 710,000 jobs." (The Washington Post, 7/17/12)

Under President Obama's Policies, The National Debt Is Projected To Surpass $20 Trillion By The End Of 2016 — An Increase Of More Than $4 Trillion In New Debt. (Office of Management and Budget, 7/27/12)