But given Obama's foreign policy record, this debate is going to be a bloodbath.
MITT ROMNEY (10/22/2012): I congratulate him on taking out Osama bin Laden. ... Drones are being used in drone strikes, and I support that entirely, and feel that the President was right. ... I want to underscore the same point the President made. ... I felt the same as the President did. ... I supported his action there. ... It's absolutely the right thing to do, to have crippling sanctions.
(wild audience cheering and applause)
I think Romney's leaning Obama. Apparently, Romney is one of this year's coveted swing voters.
....
On foreign policy, it appears that all that's left for the presidential race is this one model. I mean, at least we still get our choice of color, but it's the same model! (audience laughter)
What the hell's Romney up to? The whole debate was a tour of bizarro land! Here's Romney on the Afghanistan withdrawal.
MITT ROMNEY (10/22/2012): Well, we're going to be finished by 2014, and when I'm president, we'll make sure we bring our troops out by the end of 2014.
2014 withdrawal date, no matter what! That's Barack Obama's plan! The weird part is... (whispers) it never used to be Romney's.
MITT ROMNEY (6/2/2011): Announcing a withdrawal date, that was wrong. ... The Taliban may not have watches, but they do have calendars.
"Calendars? Hehe, I meant colanders. They have colanders! And I say withdrawal date was wrong, I meant right!" How about Iraq?
1/24/2008:
TIM RUSSERT: Governor Romney, was the war in Iraq a good idea worth the cost in blood and treasure we have spent?
MITT ROMNEY: It was the right decision to go into Iraq. I supported it at the time, I support it now.
But do you support it...
... now?
MITT ROMNEY (10/22/2012): We don't want another Iraq, we don't want another Afghanistan. That's not the right course for us.
Well, I guess that's not a flip-flop, so much as a principled recognition of the Iraq War's current unpopularity.
....
All right, so here's your chance to contrast Obama's appeasement through diplomacy with your freedom through strength.
MITT ROMNEY (10/22/2012): It's also essential for us to understand what our mission is in Iran, and that is to dissuade Iran from having a nuclear weapon through peaceful and diplomatic means. ... We want a peaceful planet. We want people to be able to enjoy their lives and know they're going to have a bright and prosperous future, and not be at war. ... I want to see peace.
Get a haircut, hippie! (wild audience cheering)
Governor Mitt Romney appears to have made the calculated decision that his bellicose and hawkish performances in the Republican primaries would be less appreciated by "the normals". But here's the crazy part. After basically casting off what were months and weeks ago his bedrock principles and beliefs to copy Obama's policy positions, in a transparently cynical appeal to moderates and undecideds, guess which quality Romney chose to highlight as the difference between the two men.
MITT ROMNEY (10/22/2012): Leadership. ... We should be playing the leadership role. ... America must lead. ... We need strong leadership. ... real leadership ... I'd like to be that leader.
"Follow me! I'll be right behind the President!" (wild audience cheering and applause)
I gotta say, by the end of last night, I was beginning to worry we were in some kind of Freaky Friday situation, where Barack Obama, they somehow peed in the same fountain and switched bodies.
Let's begin tonight with last night's presidential debate in Boca Raton, Florida, which is Spanish for Rat's Mouth, and Yiddish for Heaven's Waiting Room. (audience applause)
This is the third — and thank God — final debate between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. The topic: foreign policy. Bad news for President Obama because:
DONALD TRUMP (9/18/2012): In the history of Presidents of the United States, he's our worst at foreign policy.
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM, R-SC (9/21/2012): This is a very weak, ill-conceived foreign policy.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, R-AZ (10/22/2012): Every place you look is failure.
PAUL RYAN (9/4/2012): The Jimmy Carter years look like the good old days compared to where we are right now.
MITT ROMNEY (2/3/2012): The President has communicated weakness.
Weakness in foreign policy. Obama is weaker than Coolidge in foreign policy. Weaker than Polk. Weaker than President Flinchington J. Craphispants.
As you know, the only president in United States history who ever had his wallet stolen by a baby. You don't hear as much about ol' President Craphispants.
But given Obama's foreign policy record, this debate is going to be a bloodbath.
MITT ROMNEY (10/22/2012): I congratulate him on taking out Osama bin Laden. ... Drones are being used in drone strikes, and I support that entirely, and feel that the President was right. ... I want to underscore the same point the President made. ... I felt the same as the President did. ... I supported his action there. ... It's absolutely the right thing to do, to have crippling sanctions.
(wild audience cheering and applause)
I think Romney's leaning Obama. Apparently, Romney is one of this year's coveted swing voters. Look, how closely did Mitt Romney align himself with what had — I guess up until last night — been the worst foreign policy ever? Listen to these guys duet on Syria.
10/22/2012:
MITT ROMNEY: I believe that Assad must go.
BARACK OBAMA: Assad has to go.
MITT ROMNEY: I don't want to have our military involved in Syria.
BARACK OBAMA: For us to get more entangled militarily in Syria is a serious step.
MITT ROMNEY: So the right course for us is working through our partners...
BARACK OBAMA: ... in consultation with our partners ...
MITT ROMNEY: ... to identify responsible parties within Syria ...
BARACK OBAMA: ... mobilizing the moderate forces ...
MITT ROMNEY: ... organize them ...
BARACK OBAMA: ... helping the opposition organize ...
MITT ROMNEY: We do need to make sure ...
BARACK OBAMA: ... making absolutely certain ...
MITT ROMNEY: ... that they don't have arms ...
BARACK OBAMA: ... arms in ...
MITT ROMNEY: ... the wrong hands ...
BARACK OBAMA: ... folks who eventually could turn them against us ...
MITT ROMNEY: ... to hurt us down the road.
BARACK OBAMA & MITT ROMNEY: Thank you.
(wild audience cheering and applause)
Wow! What the hell was that? On foreign policy, it appears that all that's left for the presidential race is this one model. I mean, at least we still get our choice of color, but it's the same model! (audience laughter)
What the hell's Romney up to? The whole debate was a tour of bizarro land! Here's Romney on the Afghanistan withdrawal.
MITT ROMNEY (10/22/2012): Well, we're going to be finished by 2014, and when I'm president, we'll make sure we bring our troops out by the end of 2014.
2014 withdrawal date, no matter what! That's Barack Obama's plan! The weird part is... (whispers) it never used to be Romney's.
MITT ROMNEY (6/2/2011): Announcing a withdrawal date, that was wrong. ... The Taliban may not have watches, but they do have calendars.
"Calendars? Hehe, I meant colanders. They have colanders! And I say withdrawal date was wrong, I meant right!" How about Iraq?
1/24/2008:
TIM RUSSERT: Governor Romney, was the war in Iraq a good idea worth the cost in blood and treasure we have spent?
MITT ROMNEY: It was the right decision to go into Iraq. I supported it at the time, I support it now.
But do you support it...
... now?
MITT ROMNEY (10/22/2012): We don't want another Iraq, we don't want another Afghanistan. That's not the right course for us.
Well, I guess that's not a flip-flop, so much as a principled recognition of the Iraq War's current unpopularity. Ah, but you know what? Iraq and Afghanistan, those are yesterday's wars. It's tomorrow's war that counts. And if there's anything Governor Romney has been vociferous about, lo these past 18 months, it is his uncompromising belief that it is time to rattle our sabers at Iran.
MITT ROMNEY (2/22/2012): This is a President who should have instead communicated to Iran that we are prepared, that we are considering military options. They're not just on the table, they are in our hand.
MITT ROMNEY (11/12/2011): The President should have built a credible threat of military action.
MITT ROMNEY (9/5/2007): When they see our military option in our hand, a possible blockade, or possible aerial strikes, they recognize we mean business.
"We mean business, motherfucker! Blockade! Aerial strike! Pew! Pew! Pew! Pew! Pew! We're gonna get you, Iran! Prediction: pain!"
All right, so here's your chance to contrast Obama's appeasement through diplomacy with your freedom through strength.
MITT ROMNEY (10/22/2012): It's also essential for us to understand what our mission is in Iran, and that is to dissuade Iran from having a nuclear weapon through peaceful and diplomatic means. ... We want a peaceful planet. We want people to be able to enjoy their lives and know they're going to have a bright and prosperous future, and not be at war. ... I want to see peace.
Get a haircut, hippie! (wild audience cheering)
Governor Mitt Romney appears to have made the calculated decision that his bellicose and hawkish performances in the Republican primaries would be less appreciated by "the normals". But here's the crazy part. After basically casting off what were months and weeks ago his bedrock principles and beliefs to copy Obama's policy positions, in a transparently cynical appeal to moderates and undecideds, guess which quality Romney chose to highlight as the difference between the two men.
MITT ROMNEY (10/22/2012): Leadership. ... We should be playing the leadership role. ... America must lead. ... We need strong leadership. ... real leadership ... I'd like to be that leader.
"Follow me! I'll be right behind the President!" (wild audience cheering and applause)
I gotta say, by the end of last night, I was beginning to worry we were in some kind of Freaky Friday situation, where Barack Obama, they somehow peed in the same fountain and switched bodies. Remember two weeks ago, when Romney was the one who was all confident, staring daggers at Obama? The President was looking at some rapturous dreamland that only he could see. Well, last night it was Obama delivering the death stare, while Romney suddenly found something on his podium incredibly fascinating!
And that's not all. Obama, who as we all remember was fucking asleep during the first debate, was hitting Romney left and right with the zingers!
BARACK OBAMA (10/22/2012): Well, Governor Romney's right, you are familiar with jobs being shipped overseas because you invested in companies that were shipping jobs overseas.
Boom!
BARACK OBAMA (10/22/2012): You mentioned the Navy, for example, and that we have fewer ships than we did in 1916. Well, Governor, we also have fewer horses and bayonets.
Bam! (wild audience cheering)
BARACK OBAMA (10/22/2012): When you were asked what's the biggest geopolitical threat facing America, you said Russia. Not al-Qaeda, you said Russia. In the 1980s, they're now calling to ask for their foreign policy back.
Naw, naw, that was a little hacky. I mean, that was a little roasty. "Hey, I wouldn't fuck your foreign policy with Margaret Thatcher's dick. Huh? Come on. Hickory dickory dock, your geopolitical understanding can suck my c......!"
I'm sorry... (audience starts to applaud) please don't, because then I'll do it again some night.
So the President had a good night. Must've felt pretty confident, cuz he was letting his professorial side shine through, especially when it came to one country.
BARACK OBAMA (10/22/2012): We've created partnerships throughout the region to deal with extremism in Somalia, in Yemen, in Pakistan.
Hey. Wait. Come. On. Really? Pakistan? Really? Suddenly you're a guy who's desperate to prove you once roomed with a foreign exchange student? Look, this is America. We don't use the pronunciation locally We don't say M&eslash;xico, or France. It's Mexico, France, Pakistan.
All in all, last night made a fine conclusion, though, to the trilogy of debates between the two candidates, sincere belief and a peaceful world, and their eager acceptance of remote controlled hellfire drones to achieve that end. We learned Mitt Romney's basically come around to Barack Obama's position on foreign policy, and Barack Obama's pretty much come around to the Bush administration's policy on aggression overseas. But don't worry, people.
CHUCK TODD (10/22/2012): The foreign policy debate, of the three debates, I assume this will be the least watched of the three.
SHEPARD SMITH (10/22/2012): So many voters in recent polls have said that they don't care anything about foreign policy.
10/23/2012:
JOHN BERMAN: Yes or no, this debate matter?
BRETT O'DONNELL: I don't think so.
We'll be right back.
.
with one of those elusive undecided voters.
.