Foreign Policy Debate:
Romney’s Coming Out Party
Tonight’s third and final Presidential debate focused
primarily on foreign policy. The topics
discussed ranged from Libya and the Middle East, to Iran, to China, to America’s
role in the world. All in all, it was an
excellent night for Mitt Romney.
The night started rough for President Obama, but not as rough
as it could have been. It took him a
good half hour to really get comfortable.
After that, the President did well in the debate. Both men were in command of facts and seemed
knowledgeable. It gave viewers a good
chance to see the distinctions in their approaches.
There were a few lines that stood out to me. Romney made a comment early on that set an
important tone, when he said to Mr. Obama, “Attacking me is not an agenda.” It spoke to the tone of the debate to that
point. Obama was attacking things that
Romney said, or his proposed agenda.
Romney, by contrast, laid out an agenda and in distinguishing himself
from the President, highlighted areas in which Mr. Obama’s record has been
weak.
Romney also briefly brought up Obama’s assurance to Russia
that he will be “more flexible after the election.” I think that is actually a terrifying comment
that has gotten far too little notice, and it was important that Romney
mentioned it, though I thought it deserved more attention during the debate as
well.
The only comment the whole night that set me off at all was
during the President’s closing statement, when he “promised to always listen to
[the American people’s] voices.”
Considering I spent my Saturday afternoon at a religious freedom rally
precisely because Mr. Obama has already broken that promise, I had a hard time
taking him seriously.
When it came to substance, both men were very good. Democrats will declare an Obama victory and
Republicans will declare a Romney victory.
I see the evening as a clear win for Romney, and here’s why:
Foreign policy was the one area left where Mr. Romney was
potentially vulnerable. But tonight he
was intelligent, on point, and most importantly, Presidential. Though I wouldn’t say Mr. Obama looked un-Presidential,
Romney topped him in that area.
By showing the country that he is capable of being
Commander-in-Chief, he scored a big win as far as the election goes. I thought early on that Romney made a big
mistake by letting Obama off the hook with regard to Libya and the continuing
fiasco surrounding it (God rest the souls of our departed). But actually, that may have worked in his
favor. News is coming out daily about
Libya, and by laying out his agenda without rehashing attacks on the President,
it made him appear more stately. Mr.
Obama seemed to keep throwing jabs at Romney, while the governor responded and
then pressed ahead with a vision for going forward.
Mr. Obama did a fine job defending his record, and he also
sounded reasonable and intelligent. But
current events aren’t on his side, and the fact that Romney appeared to
comfortably fit the part of Commander-in-Chief makes it hard to imagine the
debate will change things in Obama’s favor.
On the contrary, though I expect the race to remain a dead heat, if
anyone helped his cause tonight, I think it was definitely Mr. Romney.
