Bob Schieffer and president debate: Will this moderator

The subject this time is foreign policy, and like the first two debates, there are rules the moderator – Bob Schieffer – is supposed to enforce. The format calls for six 15-minute segments, each devoted to one international topic. Mr. Schieffer himself got to pick these subjects, and they are as follows:

Mitt Romney struggles against Barack Obama in foreign policy debate

By All in Web:Ninety minutes later, there was little doubt — the final round of kabuki theatre belonged to Obama. From Iran to Afghanistan to Libya to Egypt, from crushing the notion this is an apologetic president to taking ownership of the U.S. alliance with Israel, Obama equalled or bettered Romney.

Whether it will make the difference remains an open question, as the two now hurl themselves into a final fortnight toward Nov. 6, neck-and-neck by every measure.

Romney had a few powerful moments in Boca Raton, Fla. — each one delivered by pivoting away from the topic at hand to domestic issues, pounding the Obama administration’s dismal record on jobs, debt and economic growth.

The former Massachusetts governor has made the same points time and again. And this being their last direct encounter, small wonder he chose to pound that home-front drum.

But on the vast breadth of foreign questions, Romney’s decision to dial down his previous bluster and shift to the moderate middle simply didn’t work. Obama called him out each time, identifying the Etch-a-Sketch confusion as “all over the map,” and signalling that apart from rhetoric, little separates the two on the hardest questions of the day.

Yet where differences remain, it was Obama who made the most of them. In one especially memorable exchange, the president tore into Romney for promising to restore the U.S. navy to its former size as part of a larger pledge to add $2 trillion in military spending.

The fleet numbers, said Obama, mean nothing because of changing technology. And given the country’s debt challenges — and the fact the U.S. already spends more on its military than the next 10 countries combined — it makes no sense to pledge what even senior force commanders say they can live without, he said.

“We also have fewer horses and bayonets,” the president deadpanned, in a clincher that instantly went viral. “We have these things called aircraft carriers, where planes land on them . . . . It’s not a game of Battleship, where we’re counting ships.”

The “bayonets” phrase had all the hallmarks of a “zinger” — well rehearsed, loaded for maximum impact. But it also smacked of condescension, a dog whistle of sorts to that large tranche of Americans who view the president as too clever for his own good.

As the debate wore on, Romney looked increasingly uncomfortable. Not with the depth of detail on the most delicate Mideast files — he had that down. But there was simply no space for him to frame more moderate positions on Iran’s nuclear ambitions and Syria’s withering internal combustion without sounding almost exactly like the man he wants to replace.

Instead, Romney pivoted back to vagaries, repeating the widely debunked myth that Obama indulged in an “apology tour” in his first months in office, telling the world he was sorry for George W. Bush.

Obama leaped on it, saying: “If we’re going to talk about trips that we’ve taken . . . the first trip we took was to visit our troops, and when I went to Israel as a candidate, I didn’t take donors, I didn’t go to fundraisers . . . I went to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust museum, to remind myself of the nature of evil.”

Obama then told of a visit to rocket-scarred Sderot, the town nearest to Hamas-controlled Gaza, describing how the Israeli families he met there moved him to mobilize U.S. funding for Israel’s “Iron Dome” anti-missile system.

The exchange was enough to make any Palestinian grimace over America’s role as a fair broker. But facing an opponent who repeatedly accuses the White House of “throwing Israel under the bus,” Obama’s commanding display all but erased the possibility of any winning retort.

Obama was cooler this time that he was a week ago. But his calm demeanour belied an underlying aggression that was determined to cast Romney as out of touch and out of time.

That included a clash over Romney’s earlier characterization of Russia America’s foremost “geopolitical foe.”

“The Cold War has been over for 20 years,” said Obama. “When it comes to your foreign policy, you seem to want to import the foreign policies of the 1980s.”

Romney found his footing eventually, arguing that Obama’s policies in the Middle East and North Africa, however well-intended, are resulting in a “rising tide” of radicalism.

“Attacking me is not an agenda,” said Romney. “Attacking me is not how we deal with the challenges of the Middle East.”

But the instant reaction now must compete with an aggregate of nationwide polls showing Romney has all but erased Obama’s once formidable lead on foreign affairs and national security.

Just hours before the debate began, a Washington Post/ABC News survey showed Obama led Romney 49 per cent to 46 per cent on overall international affairs. On handling terrorism, the numbers showed a de facto tie, with Obama polling 47 per cent and Romney 46. And on the question of which candidate would make a better commander-in-chief of the military, Obama led 48 to 45, the survey said.

With no more debates left, the home stretch now will morph now into a battle of the ground games, with both sides scrambling to mobilize their respective bases.

MSNBC's Matthews likens Romney-Ryan abortion platform to 'Shariah' law

MSNBC host Chris Matthews suggested that Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan if elected would run the country according to a “religious theory” -- likening their pro-life stance to "Shariah."

Matthew made the remarks during his preview to the Tuesday night presidential debate in which he also suggested the Republican presidential ticket would give a just-fertilized egg the 14th Amendment rights of life, liberty and property.

Presidential debate: Obama, Romney and past promises [AM Briefing]

What to watch for in the second presidential debate: “Given President Obama’s stinker of a performance the first time out — 71 percent of likely voters said Romney won in a new Washington post-ABC News poll — the pressure will be on the incumbent to show he has a pulse (and probably a bit more) tonight.” (Washington Post)

Round Two: Live presidential debate coverage starts now

Weigh in on tonight’s second presidential debate with your own predictions and citizen punditry ahead of time. Stay tuned for news updates all day. And when you’re dual-screening the debate tonight, make bostonherald.com your web go-to.The Boston Herald will have blow-by-blow coverage and analysis as Round Two unfolds tonight, as well as a live chat and livestreaming video of the 9 p.m faceoff at Hofstra University. Check back here for news updates all day. Post your own top questions for President Obama and GOP challenger Mitt Romney in comments.,.....

Presidential debate: Will the Obama of 'change' show up this time?

Oct. 3 debate between President Obama and his Republican rival, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, dramatically shifted the momentum in the race. Instead of fading into oblivion, Romney has overtaken Obama in the polls and is still rising.

If you're Romney, the lesson for Tuesday's follow-up debate is simple: be the same guy you were in the first one. That means being forceful, energized and clear, while striking the occasional safe note of moderation (e.g., "Regulation is essential.") and parrying any attacks by Obama.

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President Barack Obama and Republican rival Mitt Romney spun one-sided stories in their first presidential debate, not necessarily bogus, but not the whole truth.Here's a look at some of their claims and how they stack up with the facts:

Presidential debate: Lots of red meat for policy wonks

Was it the natural tendency of old campaigners to play it safe in the opening quarter? Or the tendency of longtime adversaries to score points off each other rather than illuminate their differences?

Or was it that the issues on which the presidential campaign will turn are so complicated — the economy, taxation, healthcare — that it’s a challenge for anyone to make them accessible for average listeners?

"Presidential debate" USA

U.S. presidential debate can be game-changer, or great entertainment

Fifty-two years ago, during the first televised U.S. presidential debate, an ailing Richard Nixon perspired so profusely that it was thought to have played a role in his defeat to John F. Kennedy.
Ever since then, presidential debates have been must-see TV in America, earning their way into political folklore thanks to a legendary zinger, a spectacular gaffe or just an all-round abysmal showing.