Mitt Romney – the US Republican Party presidential candidate known for his broadsides against Russia – has little chance of beating President Barack Obama in the November elections.

Mitt Romney – the US Republican Party presidential candidate known for his broadsides against Russia – has little chance of beating President Barack Obama in the November elections, the head of the Duma’s International Affairs Committee told reporters.

The head of the International Affairs Committee, Alexei Pushkov, faults Romney Monday, along with his running mate Paul Ryan, for wanting to continue the hawkish policies of the Bush administration.

"The program of the Romney-Ryan tandem announced this week is actually the second edition of the foreign policy of the [George W.] Bush administration, which failed to deliver on American leadership," Pushkov said.

Romney, in an effort to attract votes in a divisive presidential season that resembles mud wrestling at a roadside café, launched another salvo of rhetorical rockets at Russia last week.

“Under my administration, our friends will see more loyalty, and…Putin will see a little less flexibility and more backbone,” Romney told an enthusiastic crowd at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida, last week.

In March, Romney criticized the Democratic incumbent for being ‘soft’ on the Kremlin, which he described as America’s "greatest geopolitical foe."

According to Russia Today website, the Duma official argued that Romney's inflexible remarks on Russia show all the hallmarks of George W. Bush's eight years in power: "Washington in that period appeared tough, attempting to impose their terms on Moscow, which included an imbalanced approach to missile defense in Eastern Europe, together with lessons on democracy and human rights."

Pushkov argued that a Romney victory would hurt Washington more than Moscow, since the US needs Russia’s support on a variety of issues.

US politicians regularly play the ‘Russia card’ during campaign season, a game that could eventually do irreparable damage to Russia-US relations.