Townhall "Like him or not, you have to admit that Mitt Romney has at least centered his campaign around the issues that matter. He has spent most of his time focused on the economy, jobs, the debt, and foreign policy. On the other hand, Barack Obama's entire campaign has been one long circus of trivialities. Instead of making "Forward" his campaign slogan, he should have used something more appropriate like, "Hey, look over there!" How bad has it gotten? This bad. "
...."If Barack Obama doesn't even know what investments he has in his own pension, is it any surprise that he doesn't realize how much debt we have, how damaging Obamacare is to America, or how many Americans he's keeping out of work with his policies? "
Blackfive; Military Capabilities "It's one thing to say that you want a smaller, less capable American navy for some reason -- or that you are willing to accept a reduced American capacity to project power around the world. It's another thing to suggest that these ships are examples of why we don't need a large Navy. In fact, the model of power projection built around these ships is exactly why we need a large Navy. The ships are evidence for the opposite of the President's argument."
Obama's 'Horses and Bayonets' Goes Viral "Along with "horses and bayonets," Americans were also searching other military terms during the debate, including Drones and Syria."
"Mr. Romney’s point in calling for an expanded shipbuilding program is that the Navy is the primary means for the U.S. to project power around the world. The current Navy, the Romney campaign has said, is too small to provide a stabilizing force all around the globe. A bigger Navy, Romney aides argue, could help increase stability and head off conflicts in the Middle East, Asia and elsewhere." Related post here.
McCain: Obama’s Sarcasm “Inappropriate” and “Unpresidential” " “I don’t know why the president of the United States feels it’s necessary to denigrate and insult his opponent,” said McCain. “It’s not only bad taste, and, frankly, inappropriate for a president of the United States, but it’s also wrong.” "
Marines stick it to Obama with bayonet tweets and pics"Seizing the opportunity to talk up their beloved weapons, Marines have been unleashing a Twitter torrent of bayonet facts and photos like those above ever since the words left the Commander in Chief’s lips."
Caroline Glick "One of the disturbing things about last night's presidential debate is that the discussion on Iran was at least four years out of date. Iran is about to cross the threshold. I know voters don't want to hear it. But it is true.
"Please take 15 minutes to watch this important YouTube video about what is at stake as Iran races, unhindered to the nuclear finish line. Watch it and then post it on your facebook page and website and send it out to everyone you know. The politicians don't want to admit how urgent this is. We have to show them that we are strong enough to handle the truth." Caroline Glick's resume': ...."In its Israeli Independence Day supplement in 2003, Ma’ariv named me the most prominent woman in Israel. In December 2005, I was awarded the Ben Hecht award for Middle East reporting from the Zionist Organization of America. In January 2006, I was awarded the Abramowitz Prize for Media Criticism by Israel Media Watch.
Legal Insurrection;Obama loves straw man arguments, known on the internets as being a shorter.
"The false choice between Obama’s position on an issue and some absurd extreme alternative is Obama’s way of framing most issues.
" “Some say” we should have no government or similar ridiculousness is a typical Obama refrain in order to justify massive government."
"Notice how Obama never addresses what the Navy says it needs. Most of the clips you will see of this segment omit Romney’s reference to the Navy’s own assessment of its needs.
The nutroots are gaga over this, but did it really help Obama?
"I think the military may disagree that a fully equipped Navy, by the Navy’s own standards, is the equivalent of resurrecting the cavalry. Same goes for the Air Force."
Politico; Mitt Romney wins debate season ""Barack Obama won on points last night. But that victory may not have been enough to undo the damage done to the president by this year's debate season."
PJ Media;Big Bird, Binders, Bayonets: Who Sank Whose Battleship? "Romney’s Libya answer, when asked about policy failures and whether the White House attempted to mislead the public on what happened, was a broader take on the need to deal with Islamic radicalism."
AP’s Latest Fact Free ‘Fact Check’ Of Romney "Note that Obama flat out lied when he said: "You were very clear that you would not provide government assistance to the U.S. auto companies, even if they went through bankruptcy."
"In fact, in the very New York Times editorial that the news media so love to cite, Romney specifically called for government assistance: "The federal government should provide guarantees for post-bankruptcy financing and assure car buyers that their warranties are not at risk." "
Much was made of Romney's point that Syria would give Iran access "to the sea", snarkily saying that they already had access to the Persian Gulf. They do, but not to the Mediterranean Sea, which would give Iran direct access to the coast of Israel and increased ability to threaten the Suez Canal. That would be major.
No matter. Obama's supporters are fully committed to him, not because he is knowledgeable and effective in foreign policy but merely because he is Barack Obama.
I fear this man's effect on America, but not as much as I fear those who want him to be president. The Tunnel Dweller
Stilton Jarlsberg at Hope n' Change made this point with which I agree:
In candor, I'm extremely disappointed that Mitt didn't beat Barry over the head with his numerous foreign policy failures. I don't know if Mitt's pollsters told him not to risk it, or it Mitt just didn't have the stomach for it. But it SHOULD have been said that this president has endangered American lives, undermined the confidence of our allies, emboldened our enemies, and generally made a complete mess of every conceivable foreign policy decision he's made.
Hot Air; Romney wins the debate season — and the key test for a challenger; Update: Romney hits 50% in Rasmussen tracker, up 4 Debate's "real value to voters, however, is to test the presidential mettle of each man. A President is presumed to have more of it, by virtue of his four years in the office already, so the challenger has to work hard to equal or surpass his stature. Romney did that in the first debate, and in the two succeeding debates solidified his standing as a man at least Obama’s equal."
Yeshiva World News in Israel naturally paid close attention to this:Romney, Obama Pledge Israel Backing, Agree Iran Strike Last Resort "Rick “Ozzie” Nelson, an international security expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the foreign policy debate was “underwhelming” and the candidates kept switching to domestic policies."
Heritage Experts’ Roundup of the Final Presidential DebateOne point I'm glad that Romney made: "President Obama stated his support for the 2009 Green Revolution in Iran tonight. That is three years late and a dollar short. Just as he revised his record on the Benghazi attack, calling it terrorism four weeks after the fact, President Obama has now changed his position on Iran. One of the reasons we still have the Mullahs in power in Tehran today is that the United States failed to support a promising, fledgling political uprising against the autocratic regime of Iran."
American Thinker had these:
Romney passes final test "In his three debates, Romney proved himself at least the equal, and at times the master, of Obama. By any measure, the Obama campaign's attempt to make Romney appear to be a risky choice has utterly failed while the Republican has shown himself to be a viable, plausible alternative.
Obama's Facial Expressions Lost the Debate for Him "That's the problem with transformational figures, they always know how to save humanity in general, but they end up never saving anyone or anything in particular."
Obama, DisarmedFrom NRO; "Over all, the debate came down to the economy, and Romney’s case was much stronger. I think Romney was the clear winner on points and by appearing presidential."
Foreign Policy Debate? "The “I got bin Laden” statements from Obama were predictable and shallow. But .. when you’re speaking to a shallow electorate, shallow works."
This was a trifecta for Obama. He managed to combine snarky, sarcastic and condescending into one immature statement. Romney is right here. Our military is weakened. That would be because Obama came into office with the intent of weakening the American military. He was raised to believe that America was an evil colonial power – and that power was exercised through the American military. Obama was raised and nurtured to despise the U.S. Armed Forces. One can only guess how much of that has stuck with him into the presidency. Remember – the Obama administration is working overtime to suppress the military vote in this election.
Bruce Thornton "This betrayal of a quintessential political right and the de facto validation of the “malevolent culture of Islamic supremacism,” as Andy McCarthy writes, illustrates the delusional ideologies that have created Obama’s foreign policy now threatening our security and interests. They have made America look weak and exhausted, a civilization of unparalleled military and economic power but crippled by abject moral poverty, one more terrorist attack away from capitulation and retreat. That is the point Romney needs to hammer home tonight if his priority is to expose Obama’s foreign policy failure."
Andrew C. McCarthy, It’s Not Just Obama’s Lies — It’s the Premise of Obama’s Lies "We see this raw, bullying power in the speeches and nauseating Pakistani television commercials Obama and Clinton produced to reprove the video at taxpayer expense. These fundamentally betray the federal government’s principal duty to safeguard American liberties against foreign threats. We also see it in the Kafkaesque prosecution and detention of Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, alleged producer of the video, on a mere probation violation. “Violations of supervised release,” as they are called in the biz, are numbingly routine. Convicts are rarely re-imprisoned over them absent a truly severe infraction. And even when such infractions occur, there is almost never any rush to adjudicate them — generally, the probationer is given a summons with notice to appear in court on his own recognizance with counsel; he is not arrested in his home by armed police in the middle of the night, as Nakoula was, as if he were a terrorist or a drug lord. That is not responsible law enforcement; it is abuse of power."
Breitbart "That we could elect an African-American to lead the free world is indeed a very good thing.
"We just happened to elect the wrong African-American. "
....
"We walked up to a fellow with a gray pony tail, John Lennon glasses and Birkenstocks. He was wearing a Romney sticker.
" “Mind if I ask why you’re voting for Mitt Romney?” I asked. “I assume you are.”
"His reply – and these were his words, not mine – was short and to the point: “Because I refuse to be that stupid twice.” ( Well, maybe Russell Brand, pictured right, would)
"Changing one’s mind doesn’t always reveal a tendency toward indecision. Sometimes, changing one’s mind reveals a tendency toward wisdom."
"Early Friday morning, thugs presumably supporting President Obama beat up the son of Wisconsin State Senator Neal Kedzie outside of his apartment in Whitewater. Kedzie caught the two men removing a Romney sign outside of his apartment around two o'clock in the morning. After telling them to put the signs back, one of the thugs attacked Kedzie and then put him in a choke hold and continued to beat his head."
Legal Insurrection "I hope you have 2 minutes to watch a hard hitting video I made called American Hero 2012. It should convince undecided voters and FIRE UP the base! "I know everyone’s mind is on the debate tonight and most stories will be about that. This should help balance things in your news feed with other content.
"Romney needs to remind everyone that to make it even worse this miserable excuse of a president had the unmitigated gaul to stand in front of the U(seless) N(ations) and yet again offer an apology to our enemies, an apology for a privately made video that had absolutely NOTHING to do with the violence and MURDERS of our people just so he could cover his own butt for failing to answer Ambassador Stevens’ cry for help."
5 Crucial Questions for the Presidential Foreign Policy Debate
"Tonight’s final presidential debate will focus solely on foreign policy. Moderator Bob Schieffer announced that the topics will be: “America’s Role in the World,” “Our Longest War—Afghanistan and Pakistan,” “Red Lines—Israel and Iran,” “The Changing Middle East and the New Face of Terrorism,” and “The Rise of China and Tomorrow’s World.” Heritage’s foreign policy experts have written a series of tipsheets for prepping on each of these issues, featured on our Debate 2012 page and linked below."
Expect this at the debate tonight: WH Spin: No Evidence AQ Was Involved in Benghazi
"No evidence? That’s funny, considering the group behind the attack, Ansar al-Sharia, is viewed as al-Qaeda’s face in Libya, according to a Library of Congress report from this summer. Also, the intelligence community reportedly intercepted phone calls in which Ansar al-Sharia leaders bragged to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb leaders after the attack. Also, the State Department has designated Ansar al-Sharia a new alias for al-Qaeda in Yemen, etc." "Spinning Benghazi", posted here earlier.
Blackfive offers this point of view from a military blog:Why didn't Obama send military help in Libya? "Now there is a very interesting question that could actually come up during tonight's Presidential debate. CBS News has a devastating report about what was known about the attack while it was happening. "
...."They did nothing and watched on a drone feed hoping that the situation would change, but campaign slogans don't save lives. That takes making an actual gutsy call and as it turns out the Osama-slayer didn't have time to poll this one, so he loaded up AF one and flew to Vegas."
Big Journalism; Bob Schieffer's 2008 Pro-Obama Debate Record "Bob Schieffer, the moderator for the last of the three presidential debates in 2012, needs to be watched carefully; he has a clear partisan agenda that favors Barack Obama that was evident even in 2008. When he moderated the last presidential debate that year, he didn’t flinch from his Democratic Party mission."
Graham on Benghazi: 'A National Security Breakdown' " "I am totally convinced this is going to go down in history as one of the most major breakdowns of national security in a very long time," Grahama said. "It's Exhibit A of a failed national security strategy." " Watch the video below:
The Tucson Citizen calls the Graham-Durbin theBenghazi Smackdown: Lindsey Graham vs Dick Durbin And as Obama did in the second presidential debate, Durbin feigns indignation over the idea that Democrats would ever invent a narrative for political purposes. Instead he has tried to convince us that we didn’t hear what we heard, and we didn’t see what we saw.
Rage Against the Media "It might be statistically true that “Congress is on pace to make history with the least productive legislative year in the post-World War II era,” but to insinuate this is the fault of the House Republican majority is fiction.
"The U.S. Senate, under the failed “leadership” of “progressive” Harry Reid, has refused to allow a majority of House passed bills to even come to a vote in the U.S. Senate.
"The reason so many believe the House is to blame for this are the lies spread by “progressive” shills like Yahoo News, USA Today, ABC News and their ilk."
...."If Barack Obama doesn't even know what investments he has in his own pension, is it any surprise that he doesn't realize how much debt we have, how damaging Obamacare is to America, or how many Americans he's keeping out of work with his policies? "
