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Mitt Romney put his foot in his mouth again, but this time the consequences are much more severe.  

The GOP presidential nominee is under fire for his response to the US embassy attacks in Libya and Egypt, in which he said that President Obama “sympathized” with the attackers and that his handling of the attacks was “disgraceful.”  

Democrats and Republicans alike are appalled over Mitt’s comments, saying he spoke out of turn before getting all the facts and polarized this dire situation that left four US diplomats dead, including the ambassador to Libya.

STORY: Protesters Storm U.S. Embassy In Yemen

Steve Schmidt, John McCain’s 2008 campaign manager, told Yahoo News that Romney’s decision to stand behind his initial criticism of Obama could reap a poor image among voters in November:

“For people who are running for president, this is a test where people evaluate their mettle as commander in chief, and the Romney campaign put out a statement before the facts were in that politicized the matter and gratuitously attacked the administration for something they did not do.  The decision to double down on the initial mistake has put them into a potentially very dangerous political situation. During a foreign policy crisis, you can’t build a position on a foundation of politics…The situation remains serious, it’s volatile and Romney is appearing to be very political.”

Yahoo News also reports that former New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu, a top Romney surrogate, told the National Journal that the campaign “probably should have waited” to get all the facts before releasing a response.

In addition, Romney’s ally Tom Ridge, former secretary of Homeland Security under President George W. Bush, disputed Romney’s suggestion that Obama was sympathizing with the enemy.

I don’t think President Obama sympathizes with those who attacked us,” Ridge told the liberal site Think Progress. “I don’t think any American does.”

SOURCE: Yahoo News