President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney presented different worldviews while agreeing on approaches to many of the specific challenges America faces over the next four years during their final televised debate, a foreign policy-focused affair Monday night.
Both men would work to bring the Afghanistan War to a close in 2014 and use military force against Iran only as a last resort, and Romney praised Obama’s decision to assassinate Osama bin Laden.
But the interruptions and attack lines flowed freely as they magnified their different visions and often returned to their fiery disagreements on domestic policy.
Obama presented himself as pragmatic, approaching each crisis individually, and ticking off his work in ending the Iraq War, setting a withdrawal timeline in Afghanistan and, of course, killing bin Laden. He attacked Romney as a flip-flopper, a charge more commonly leveled during the Republican primary.
“The problem is on a whole range of issues, whether it’s the Middle East, whether it’s Afghanistan, whether it’s Iraq, whether it’s now Iran, you’ve been all over the map,” Obama said.
Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, spoke in grander terms of the need for bolder American leadership. He accused Obama of presiding over a decline of American power because the economy has struggled and he has not been assertive enough with foes like Iran.
“I don’t see our influence growing around the word,” Romney said. “I see it receding.”
Obama attacked early and often, with quips that poked fun at his foe with a side of venom. Romney, using the word “peace” far more than he used the word “war,” appeared to be trying to project a calm visage and to deflect Obama’s charges that he would be a warmonger. Later he shifted to more aggression against Obama, with repeated mentions of the still-struggling economy and steep potential cuts to the military.
The men had one of their most spirited exchanges when Romney accused Obama of going on an “apology tour” to the Middle East shortly after his inauguration. Obama’s statements saying that America had been too overbearing in the past drew Republican scorn at the time, and Romney — who titled his 2010 memoir “No Apology” — brought it up again Monday night.
“America has not dictated to other nations; we have freed other nations from dictators,” Romney said.
Obama said the “apology tour” claim “has been probably the biggest whopper that’s been told during the course of this campaign.”
After a first debate performance even he admitted was somnolent, Obama has been more spirited in his last two matches with Romney.
Early on Monday, Obama brought up Romney’s statement that Russia was America’s “No. 1 geopolitical foe.” Obama accused Romney of being stuck in a Cold War mindset.
“You seem to want to import the foreign policy of the 1980s just like the social policies of the 1950s and the economic policy of the 1920s,” the president said.
Romney later took his own opportunity to bring up the economy.
“Promoting the principles of peace has fallen to America,” Romney said. “We didn’t ask for it. But it’s an honor that we have it. But for us to be able to promote those principles of peace requires us to be strong. And that begins with a strong economy here at home. Unfortunately, the economy is not stronger.”
Obama managed to allude to the auto industry bailout and clean energy. Romney delivered his five-point economic plan, and talked about his plans for the Medicaid health insurance program.
What Romney unexpectedly did not address was the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans, including the U.S. ambassador. Republicans have questioned why there was not more security at the consulate, when personnel there requested it, and have claimed that the administration’s initial explanation that the attack was spontaneous was politically motivated.
But Romney did not attack on this front, as he did in last week’s debate in what was perceived as a slight stumble because he accused Obama of not labeling the attack terrorism when Obama had used the term “act of terror” the next day.
With right-wing Muslims gaining power in many of the nations who have seen upheaval from the Arab Spring, Romney’s criticism was broader, saying America “must have a comprehensive strategy to reject this kind of extremism.”
On Syria, Romney said he would do more to arm the rebel groups fighting President Bashar Assad, while Obama said he was coordinating with allies and said knowing which rebel groups are reliable allies is no easy task.
Iran and Israel formed the basis of much conversation. Both men pronounced themselves staunch allies of Israel — speaking in a heavily Jewish area of Florida, a critical swing state — but Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have an occasionally testy relationship, while Netanyahu and Romney have known each other for decades.
Romney said Obama has allowed Iran to get four years closer to a nuclear weapon, while Obama said tough sanctions are working to cripple the economy. Still, both declared that war was only a last resort.
Obama quipped that “you’d do the same things we did, but you’d say them louder and somehow that — that would make a difference.”
But Romney did offer specific increased sanctions that he would take, including isolating Iranian diplomats and barring Iranian oil in U.S. ports.
In the prior two debates, the moderator was a big part of the story, as PBS’ Jim Lehrer asked open-ended questions and stayed out of the way, while CNN’s Candy Crowley asked pointed follow-ups and gave a much-dissected fact-check of Romney’s statements on Libya. CBS’ Bob Schieffer took more of a Lehrer route, rarely interjecting himself into the dialogue.
At one point, after Obama veered far off to education policy, Schieffer said: “Let me get back to foreign policy.” Then he allowed Romney a rebuttal.
