First since '52: No talk of war…

Associated Press

MATT APUZZO, Associated Press

Updated: Aug 31, 2012 1:45 PM

WASHINGTON (AP) — With America embroiled in its longest armed conflict, Mitt Romney became the first Republican since 1952 to accept his party's nomination without mentioning war.

Three election cycles after the 2001 terrorist attacks, neither Romney nor his running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan, had anything to say about terrorism or war while on his party's biggest stage Thursday. Clint Eastwood won cheers for suggesting invading Afghanistan was a mistake.

The Romney strategy reflects the weak public support for the Afghanistan war, fatigue over a decade of terrorism fears and the central role of the economy in the campaign. But it was still a remarkable shift in tone for a party that, even in times of peace, has used the specter of war to call for greater military spending and tough foreign policy.

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