Josh Rogin confirms that the Romney campaign is entirely clueless:

“They [the Russians] are our foe. They have chosen a path of confrontation, not cooperation, and I think the governor was correct in that even though there are some voices in Washington that find that uncomfortable,” he [Williamson] said. “So those who say, ‘Oh gosh, oh golly, Romney said they’re our geopolitical foe’ don’t understand human history. And those who think liberal ideas of engagement will bend actions also don’t understand history. We’re better to be frank and honest.”

I understand that the Romney campaign feels compelled to attack current Russia policy because it is Obama’s policy, and I appreciate that they believe it is useful for them to demonize diplomatic engagement. Fine, that can’t be helped in an election year. That doesn’t excuse this sort of overwhelming ignorance. Where exactly has Russia chosen to “confront” the U.S.? Russia opposes military intervention in Syria, and doesn’t want to acquiesce in Western efforts to overthrow the Syrian government. If anything, it is Western governments that are “confronting” Russia on this issue. Williamson’s complaint is that Russia is not capitulating at the first sign of American displeasure.

Williamson pledged that a “Romney administration would end the Russian “reset” and confront Russia on Syria, Georgia, Iran, and several other issues.” If the Romney administration pursued such a policy, not only would it wreck U.S.-Russian relations, which are still reasonably good, but it would ensure that Russia will provide no cooperation on any of these issues and would instead become much more hostile to U.S. goals. At what point are we going to acknowledge that the Romney campaign is quite serious in their determination to sabotage the relationship with Russia regardless of the consequences for U.S. interests?

As a matter of accuracy, Russia is not “our number one geopolitical foe” or anything like it. It is embarrassing and silly for Romney to have said it the first time. It is ludicrous for his advisers to continue defending a statement that no one considers credible. This isn’t something that “some voices in Washington” find objectionable. It reflects inexcusable incompetence in the Romney campaign’s understanding of a major international power and its relationship with America.