Max Bergmann sees what Mitt is up to:
From a political perspective Romney is severely compromised with the Republican base for his past liberal positions on domestic and social policy issues (pro-choice, health care reform, etc). But one area where he is a blank slate is on foreign policy. And Romney has made a concerted effort to fully embrace the Heritage Foundation's national security positions.
Crowley agrees:
As a former business executive, Romney has shown little past interest in arms negotiations. But that's true of nearly all the most-often discussed 2012 Republican presidential possibles: Sarah Palin, Mitch Daniels, Mike Huckabee, Haley Barbour, John Thune and Tim Pawlenty. (To be fair, Palin does talk about national security; but no one would call her an expert.) Hence Romney's piece feels like an effort to play national security wonk and elevate himself above a field of domestically-oriented figures.