Romney facing widespread criticism for attacking Obama after Libyan consulate murders for 'apologising for our values' 

Critical: Mitt Romney condemned the Obama administration for sympathizing with those who attacked U.S. diplomatic missions in Egypt and Libya

Mitt Romney, the Republican presidential nominee, is facing stern criticism from Democrats and some in his own party for attacking President Barack Obama in the wake of tragedy in Libya.

Romney blasted Obama for 'apologising for our values', a reference to a statement from the US Embassy in Cairo condemning those who had 'hurt the religious feelings of Muslims'.

But the attack on Obama, which followed a critical statement the previous night when it was known only that one unnamed American official was dead, drew fire from both sides of the political aisle.

Peggy Noonan, a former speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan, told Fox News: 'I don't feel that Mr Romney has been doing himself any favours in the past few hours.

'Sometimes when really bad things happen, when hot things happen, cool words or no words is the way to go.'

A former Bush administration foreign policy adviser told MailOnline: 'Much of what Romney says on the substance is correct - Obama has failed to lead in the Middle East and his instict is to apologise for America rather than stand up for her.

'But his timing was all wrong. By wading in without pausing for proper reflection and to establish what had happened, he ended up looking small-minded and partisan.'

Senator John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a possible successor to Hillary Clinton as US Secretary of State, rebuked Romney in a statement: 'This is one of those moments when Americans must unite as Americans. It is exactly the wrong time to throw political punches. It is a time to restore calm and proceed wisely.'

Kerry later said Romney's stance reflected more than just inexperience: 'It's irresponsible, it's callous, it's reckless.'

The Romney campaign, however, pushed back hard, saying that for Romney not to have spoken out would have been to duck a crucial foreign policy issue. A senior aide told MailOnline that while the Washington intelligentsia might not have liked Romney's statement, it would resonate in Middle America, where there was dismay about Obama's 'weakness'.

William Kristol, a leading Republican foreign policy hand who has been critical of Romney in the past, wrote that the party nominee was 'right' this time.

'One can question the timing and tone of Mitt Romney’s statement last night. One can note he wasn't as fluent and clear as he might have been at his press conference this morning. 

Still, the fact remains that the events of September 11th 2012, represent a big moment for the country. Romney is right to sense this, and to seize on this moment as an occasion to explain the difference between his foreign policy and President Obama’s. He’s right to reject the counsel of the mainstream media, which is to keep quiet and give President Obama a pass.'

Speaking in Jacksonville, Florida during a hastily-arranged press conference before a campaign event, Romney described the murder of Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other American officials in Benghazi as 'outrageous' and 'disgusting'.

He then berated Obama for a statement by the Cairo embassy that he claimed amounted to 'sympathising' with those attacking the compound.

'America will not tolerate attacks against our citizens and against our embassies... I also believe the Administration was wrong to stand by a statement sympathising with those who had breached our embassy in Egypt instead of condemning their actions,' he said.  

'It's never too early for the United States Government to condemn attacks on Americans, and to defend our values. The White House distanced itself last night from the statement, saying it wasn't ‘cleared by Washington.’ That reflects the mixed signals they’re sending to the world.

'The attacks in Libya and Egypt underscore that the world remains a dangerous place and that American leadership is still sorely needed.'

He concluded: 'We must strive to ensure that the Arab Spring does not become an Arab Winter.'

There had been violent protests outside the US Embassy in Cairo before the attack on the Benghazi consulate. Before the violence erupted, the Cairo embassy issued a statement saying that it condemned 'the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims - as we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions'.

That statement, reiterated in tweets from the US embassy's official twitter account even after the embassy had been attacked and the American flag torn down and replaced with an Islamist black flag, was widely slammed by Republicans and later disavowed by the US State Department.

In a statement released on Tuesday night, after it had been announced that one American had died in Benghazi but before it was known that Ambassador Stevens and two others had been killed, Romney was outraged by the attacks.

'It's disgraceful that the Obama administration's first response was not to condemn attacks on our diplomatic missions, but to sympathise with those who waged the attacks.'

Romney faced widespread criticism, including from some Republicans, for issuing the statement even though at least one American was dead, the violence was continuing and the full facts were unclear.

In flames: The U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, is seen on fire during a protest by an armed group protesting a film being produced in the United States

Protest: An American worker was shot to death and another was injured as the armed demonstrators swarmed the embassy in Benghazi

Romney was then asked four questions about his late-night statement and the appropriateness of attacking Obama on foreign policy at a time of national crisis.

His press conference came after a sombre Hillary Clinton, US Secretary of State, had condemned the 'small and savage group' that had carried out the attacks but stressed that 'we must be clear-eyed even in our grief' and realise that neither the Libyan government nor the Libyan people backed the violence.

In contrast to Romney, Obama and his campaign stayed away from party politics after a brief statement soon after Romney's initial intervention that said: '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, Governor Romney would choose to launch a political attack.'

 

More...

• American killed as gunmen attack U.S. consulate in Libya... as radical Islamists in Cairo tear apart Stars and Stripes flag in protests over film attacking prophet
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• Revealed: How George W. Bush was given SEVEN warnings about threat from Bin Laden in months before 9/11
• How murder of U.S. ambassador to Libya plunges Obama's re-election campaign into crisis

Protesters destroy an American flag pulled down from the U.S. embassy in Cairo, Egypt

Before she spoke, Mrs Clinton said in a statement: ‘The United States deplores any intentional effort to denigrate the religious beliefs of others. Our commitment to religious tolerance goes back to the very beginning of our nation. But let me be clear: There is never any justification for violent acts of this kind.’

The Libyan government also released a statement condemning the attack on the American Consulate, calling it a 'cowardly act.'

In addition, the Muslim Brotherhood, the ruling Islamist party in Egypt, said on its Twitter page that that it 'regret the attacks on [the U.S. Embassy] by angry protesters, and we urge citizens to express their opinion peacefully.'

VIDEO: Romney criticizes Obama's response to attacks