Presidential Debate Winner: Obama Edges Romney In Foreign Policy Debate

Impact

After Mitt Romney won the first debate, and President Obama won the second debate, the third and final presidential debate comes to Florida.  Early on, Obama hopped onto the offensive, calling out Romney on the fact that “Governor, your strategy is all over the map and it won’t keep Americans safe.”  This was right after saying, “My first job as Commander-in-Chief is to keep the American people safe, and that’s what we’ve done over the last four years.”

Later on in the debate, Romney stated that Iran was our biggest threat; however, Obama was able to call him out on the fact that Romney had previously said “Russia is our biggest geopolitical foe.”  Another issue was the size of the Navy and how it is the smallest since 1916; however, Obama retorted with the fact that we, “also have fewer horses and bayonets.

While this was a foreign policy debate, it did not take very long for it to veer off course.  During a conversation about Mali, Romney shifted towards education.  This prompted Obama to respond with the fact that Romney cannot run on the fact that Massachusetts schools were as good as they were because of him; but rather, that the MCAS was passed before he took office.

Throughout the course of the debate, Obama did a lot of attacking Romney, while Romney did a lot of agreeing with Obama.  While both strategies could potentially work, both parties will be happy with the fact that each side did not any major mistakes.  Within the final 15-minutes, Romney talked about how much he loved Detroit; however, his famous op-ed entitled “Let Detroit Go Bankrupt” could come back to bite Romney, as Michigan is an important battleground state.

In closing, this debate showed that Obama was the stronger candidate when it comes to foreign policy.  Whereas Romney looked as if he was reading off note cards, Obama looked like he had personally visited each of these places.  Additionally, one important note is the idea that both candidates were steadfast in their support for Israel.  In terms of how this shifts the needle on battleground states, Romney looks to have taken Virginia due to his steadfast support of the Navy; however, at the end of the day, it will all come down to Ohio.  In closing, Obama seemed to have won this debate; however, at the end of the day, it all comes down to what happens in fourteen short days.

Check out my live blog of the debate here.