Recently, former presidential candidate Mitt Romney wrote an op-ed published in The Wall Street Journal. His writings criticized the Obama administration's response to foreign affairs, specifically Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. As mentioned by Politico, Romney made a significant point in this op-ed when he said that globally, America does not hold more respect from a “single country” than from before Obama became president. Romney stated publicly what Americans have witnessed with the inaction of both President Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, saying, “Their failure has been painfully evident.” Romney urged the president and Secretary of State John Kerry to take action before it is too late. 
My true interest in Mitt Romney’s op-ed comes from the official responses it received. According to Politico, the President’s administration, Former National Security Council spokesman, and White House senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer, all accused Romney of simple belligerence without providing any solutions. NSC’s spokesman, Tommy Vietor, said via Twitter, “Lots of blaming America for the world’s problems. Zero ideas for how to solve them. Typical.” Interesting statement considering Romney is not blaming America, the people; he is referring to the mangled foreign affairs the current administration has allowed by inaction and weak foreign policy. I would like to point out that it is not, in fact, Mitt Romney’s job to provide the solutions and solve the problems of this administration. How can the President and his political supporters openly blame unsolved problems on someone whom has absolutely nothing to do with the implemented policies? Mark Halperin, a journalist, “. . . suggested to Pfeiffer that Romney was saying there were solutions previously, and that Obama needed better timing.” It is, in fact, the Obama administration’s responsibility to create solutions and to establish peaceful, workable, foreign policy. Yet, these politicians respond to comments of their failures by stating that the plaintiff is not presenting solutions. Welcome to America: home of the free... to blame mistakes on the brave. Furthermore, even Hillary Clinton, whose failures as Secretary of State were also mentioned in Romney’s op-ed, said she is “worried that allowing Putin to get away with the annexation of Crimea could have repercussion in the region” and that action must be taken or the surrounding countries will be demoralized and could submit to Putin based on fear. Clinton's comments do not provide anymore of a foreign policy strategy than Mitt Romney's. Both Romney and Clinton are suggesting the obvious - America's foreign policy needs to change under this administration. 

On Wednesday, December 11, 2013, Michigan's state legislature voted in favor of a bill which prohibited insurance providers to be held responsible for covering abortions. If a woman wants her abortions covered by her insurance, she must pay an extra fee unless the woman's life is in danger. Contrary to popular opinion, I find this to be an extremely fair bill. Now, before I am haggled for not being an advocate of women's rights, let me explain. This is not a matter of whether the woman has rights to her own body or the fact that this bill is being decided by a predominantly male legislature. This is about using personal freedom as an excuse to rid an inconvenience. Opponents to this legislation yell that it is absurd because the bill requires women to plan on being raped; Meghan Groen, a Planned Parenthood representative, commented that this is unfair because women don't plan on being raped. Also Gretchen Whitmer, a seat holder in the Michigan Senate said, "(the bill) tells women who are raped ... that they should have thought ahead and bought special insurance for it." In response: without this bill, insurance carriers are telling pro-life men and women that they automatically must pay for and plan on having abortions. Furthermore, Gretchen Whitmer reflected on her experience from being raped and how, if she had become pregnant, this bill would have forced her to fully fund her own abortion. She was not impregnated and in response, abortion is an unnatural, proven unhealthy choice which is not the responsibility of anyone else's monetary funds. According to The Center for Bio-Ethical Reform, only 1% of all abortions are recorded as a product of rape - that leaves 99% of abortions resulting from non-victim. Pro-choice advocates are no longer satisfied with legalized abortions - they want others to fully fund the abortion procedures. Remember, this bill does not restrict women from having abortions, it simply does not require insurance companies to fully cover them. Personally, I know what it feels like to be taken advantage of and it cannot be an umbrella excuse to destroy an innocent, beautiful life.