Everything I know tells me that foreign policy positions is not going to determine votes in this election. For one thing, American are woefully ignorant about foreign policy. For another (and perhaps as explanation for the first), they don't care about foreign policy. But I do care and later tonight I will offer up some live-blogging of the nonsense.
10:31 pm
Near as I can tell, only parts of the world are Middle East and China. Latin America, Europe, sub-Saharan Africa, remainder of Asia......now off the map.
10:25 pm
GM, again? really.
10:15 pm
And now the China bashing portion of our evening. Sigh.
Romney: I will label China a "currency manipulator." Tough name calling, Governor.
10:12 pm
Looked like we might get to talk drones but then, no, Romney rejects Middle Eastern extremism. Hmmm, I had no idea we had trouble in the Middle East.
Obama will avoid the drones, too.
10:05 pm
Afghanistan......Romney says troops home by 2014. Still have relations with Pakistan, though. Because they have nucs and terrorists. He's mostly right that Pakistan is the real issue. But Americans have no freakin' clue what you're talking about pal. Also, Obama is about to take credit for Afghanistan in 2014.
And he did.
Frankly, this whole situation deserves way more lip service than it's getting. Sigh.
10:01 pm
Debate is now all over the place. Obama just invoked bin Laden......nothing Mitt can do here. President does get to take a victory lap on this one.
9:57 pm
Trips overseas. Mittens says that Obama took an apology tour. Obama now kicking some serious ass on this issue. Also, I think he's kinda mad at you now Mittens. And like it or not, he's the guy with nucs these days. Just sayin'.
9:55 pm
Mittens has the most peculiar blinking pattern. Kinda creeps me out.
9:53 pm
Iran. No nucs for you, crazy Iranian mullahs.
Next?
Wait, did Romney just say that Iran has 10,000 centrifuges? Really? How does he know?
9:49 pm
Now they both have to swear fealty to Israel. Yawn.
9:44 pm
"Governor, this isn't Battleship." We have less naval ships than 1917.....and also, less horses and bayonets. Bring it, Mr. President.
9:38 pm
Now on the budget. Bob? BOB? B-O-B?
Obama: Points out that Romney wants to spend 2 trillion on the military that the military isn't asking for. Cha-ching.
9:34 pm
Hey, fellas, this is a foreign policy debate.
Bob, are you gonna redirect?
9:28 pm
Bob asks what is America's role on the world?
Mittens is all over. Obama is more focused, with specifics. Obama is schooling Romney.
9:27 pm
Romney connects economic weakness to national security after a throw-away "peace through strength" line. He's all over the place.
9:16 pm
Syria. Which is, pun fully intended, a minefield.
Obama: Syrians must determine their own fate. Situation is tricky.
Romney: Humanitarian disaster. It's an opportunity for us because of the role Syria plays for Iran. Seeing Syria remove Assad is a high priority, but we don't want to get drawn in to a military conflict. Must arm our allies but not let those arms hurt us down the road. WTF? Seriously, WTF? He is scary on this question.
Hey Governor: Syria and Iran don't share a border and Syria isn't Iran's route to the sea.
What does Romney mean by "responsible party in charge"?
9:04 pm
Bob Schiefer is our host and this makes me cautiously optimistic. I don't much like TV news, but I tolerate him, which is the highest praise I pay to TV news. He goes straight to a question about Libya and the state of circumstances in the Middle East.
Romney goes first. He's disorganized for his two minutes but by golly he knows the map of the Middle East. And he opposes extremism in Iran. Blech.
Obama is more ordered. Out of Afghanistan, kept Americas safe. Clear timeline on Libya. Challenging Romney's knowledge and command of the issues; says he want foreign policy of 1980s. Going for the jugular here. Go-bama!
Romney: Attacking me is not an agenda. Pretty good line.
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