The third and final presidential debate of the 2012 general election is in the bag. Obama and Romney traded blows on foreign policy Monday night, but neither rose above the other to claim a decisive victory.
It’s nearly impossible to compete with a sitting president on national security issues. The president gets a daily national security briefing (when he shows up for it), and is forced to immerse himself in geopolitical issues. That’s an undeniable advantage. But in spite of the steep learning curve, Romney showed a mastery of complex foreign policy issues and held the president to account for his failed record on a wide range of issues including Israel, Libya, Iran, the broader middle east, Russia and more.
Romney’s strategy was much more restrained than we’ve seen him in the past two debates, a clear indication that his campaign believes he is in control of the race. He simply needed to appear intimately familiar with the issues and show that he could hold his own on the world stage — and avoid any major gaffes. He succeeded. Obama on the other hand was on the attack, realizing that the fate of his presidency may depend on a knockout punch delivered the final time he and Romney will appear side-by-side before election day. He landed some blows but didn’t deliver any lines that will tilt the election.
Bob Schieffer got mostly solid revues from folks on both sides of the aisle and clearly set himself apart from previous debate moderators as the class of this year’s crew. Then again, that’s not exactly saying a lot.
It’s often been said that debates rarely make a real difference in the election. But if Romney can hold on to unseat the President, this year will clearly be the exception. The first debate turned the race on its head and may propel Romney into the White House.
We can now look forward to an all-out ad-blitz from now til election day.
As usual, Alabama politicos took to Twitter throughout last night’s debate to share their thoughts and reactions in real-time. Are there any tweets missing that should be featured in this story? Send them HERE. or tweet us @YHPolitics.
People that say this has no value or is boring have no appreciation for human psychology. this is a study in performance under stress.
— Matt Murphy (@mattmurphyshow) October 23, 2012
Regardless of what Obama attempts to say, this pic sums up the real state of US/Israel relations during his presidency twitter.com/SpeakerHubbard…
— Mike Hubbard (@SpeakerHubbard) October 23, 2012
Can you imagine Ronald Reagan whining about Jimmy Carter at the end of his first term.No, because he was a leader not a divider.
— Jack Williams (@repjack) October 23, 2012
Obama can NOT bring himself to say ISLAMIC terrorism…or ISLAMIC extremism.
— Matt Murphy (@mattmurphyshow) October 23, 2012
The position on drones should be, “the use of drones is freaking awesome, we should do it more”… Romney basically said that.
— Dale Jackson (@TheDaleJackson) October 23, 2012
Did Obama really say sequestration “will not happen?”
— Brian LeCompte (@flashpointblog) October 23, 2012
Obama will wave his magic anti-sequestration wand!
— Brian LeCompte (@flashpointblog) October 23, 2012
Back home in time for debates. Thought this was foreign policy night? Candidates smartly by tying foreign policy to domestic economy #debate
— Cam Ward (@SenCamWard) October 23, 2012
Are the Obama staffers monitoring Iran’s nuclear buildup the same Obama staffers who were monitoring the Libyan Embassy threat?
— Allen Farley(@RepAllenFarley) October 23, 2012
If my calculations are correct, we are approximately two hours from liberal celebrities threatening to move abroad if Romney wins #debates
— toddcstacy (@toddcstacy) October 23, 2012
Obama: “We hope Iran will make right decision.” Mr. President, Americans have heard enough about hope. What we need is leadership. #debate
— Bryan Taylor (@SenBryanTaylor) October 23, 2012
Can’t stress this enough: POTUS keeps trying to land blows on Romney because he’s losing the election and he must
— toddcstacy (@toddcstacy) October 23, 2012
One last picture to sum up President Obama’s foreign policy. America becomes strong again Nov. 6. #Romney2012 twitter.com/SpeakerHubbard…
— Mike Hubbard (@SpeakerHubbard) October 23, 2012
Shieffer was probably the best moderator of the four debates – and that is a very sad thing. #debate2012
— Ryan Cantrell (@RyankCantrell) October 23, 2012
Most important poll from last night by CNN:
Is Romney Ready to be POTUS?
60% Say Yes
Hubbard’s Israel tweet is on the money. That Rep. Farley tweet is a great point too. What were the libs tweeting?
We weren’t tweeting we were watching our president annihilate the wannabe on the world stage.
More like watching the president close out his term.
Was anyone else watching CNN? Their meter that supposedly tracked undecided voters was garbage.