To the Editor:

As the mother of a foreign service officer and State Department diplomat, I was astonished when Governor Romney hit the airways politicizing the tragic death of Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other brave Americans in Libya. The Republicans are blaming the administration for lack of security. Ambassadors are expected to interact with the citizens of the country they serve and Chris Stevens did so with complete confidence in his relationship with the Libyan people.

My daughter, as a former security officer under Hillary Clinton, would be the first to tell you that its the State Department, not the President who presides over security decisions. And to be clear, the Republican Congress voted down a $100 million request from the State Department this year to beef up security for U.S. consulates and embassies around the globe.

This was a tragedy shared by all Americans and Libyans alike. It's amoral to think otherwise and continue to politicize it to gain political points.

Jane Aylor Fretz

Allentown