Mitt Romney really should show more common sense than to travel to Israel and declare that Jerusalem is their capital and that he will move our embassy there whenever the Israelis feel it would be a good time to do so. It’s an unnecessarily provocative move that isn’t likely to win him many Jewish votes. And it’s just one more example of Romney making promises that really amount to an abdication of responsibility. 
He’ll let his generals decide his foreign policy. He’ll consult his lawyers before he confronts Iran. He’ll let Israel attack Iran without any conditions. He’ll let Israel decide when to move our embassy to Jerusalem.
It’s a pattern of behavior at this point. And I think most Jewish-Americans are familiar enough with the controversy over Jerusalem’s status that they’ll see Romney’s behavior as naked pandering that demonstrates a reckless disregard for protocol.
It isn’t really much different from going to Taiwan and declaring that it isn’t part of China. The only difference is that China has more power to strike back than the Arab World. The final status of Jerusalem is supposed to be decided as part of a comprehensive peace agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians, brokered by the regional powers and the international community. It is not supposed to be decided on the back of candidate Romney’s cocktail napkin.
There are ways to talk about the Israelis’ claim on Jerusalem without challenging sixty years of US foreign policy while you are standing on foreign soil. But Romney either doesn’t know how to do diplomacy or he’s just under the misimpression that a large number of Jewish retirees in Florida are going to be so impressed with his pro-Israel stance that they’ll vote for him.
My guess is that he’ll lose at least one of those votes with these antics for every vote he gains.
In the meantime, most disinterested observers just think he’s being an ass and showing weakness. If he’s president, it seems everyone will be driving the jet-ski but Romney.
