Romney Campaign Press Release - Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen: We Can't Afford A President Who Is Blind To A Threat In Our Hemisphere

Florida Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen today made the following statement on President Obama's comments on Venezuela:

"When President Obama says that Venezuela's Hugo Chavez has not had 'a serious national security impact on us,' as he did in a TV interview, he demonstrated why we need a change in the White House and why Mitt Romney will provide the leadership, the determination, the steely resolve that is needed to face the challenges of our hemisphere. The President appears to be blithely unaware of Chavez's hatred for our nation, including his efforts to promote anti-American regimes across the Western Hemisphere undermining our foreign and security policies.

"Chavez has rolled out the red carpet to the Iranians and their nefarious schemes in our hemisphere, permitting Iranian proxies such as Hezbollah to gain a foothold in the region. Chavez also supports the Syrian regime with shipments of diesel and oil that have allowed Assad to continue murdering his people. As if all this weren't enough to cause concern among our policy makers, Chavez' ties to drug kingpins and narco-terrorists across Latin America are a direct threat to our nation and to our democratic allies.

"In Chavez we have a dictator who has systematically crushed democracy within his own country trying to install a totalitarian state like the one led by his close allies the Castro brothers. I would ask the President that if these actions do not constitute a threat to our national security, then what does? We can't afford four more years of a President who is blind to a major threat in our own hemisphere. While Obama fiddles, our region is set on fire by the enemies of the U.S."