The third and final debate is tonight at 9pm EST. A few topics to consider in this open thread is what is missing from tonight's topics:
So two-thirds of the debate will be about the Greater Middle East. Two-thirds. Schieffer has generously allowed that China and Tomorrowland the entire Pacific Rim should get fifteen minutes. Here are the following areas and topics that apparently won't be discussed:
1) The eurozone crisis
2) Latin America
3) Russia
4) Africa
5) Foreign economic policy
6) India
7) North KoreaNow I get that some of these topics won't come up in a foreign policy debate that lasts only 90 minutes. But I'm also thinking that maybe, just maybe, it would be a better foreign policy debate if they actually talked about, you know, SOMETHING OTHER THAN THE MIDDLE EAST!!!!!!
I'm not saying the Middle East isn't important — we have lost blood and treasure there, some of it very recently. But I simply do not believe that the region is so important that it should occupy 66.7% of a foreign policy debate.
And you gotta love Reason's drinking game for tonight:
Start with a robust pregame chug for all the foreign policy issues that won’t be discussed: Democracy and development in Africa, the future of Russia, the Eurozone crisis, Greece and austerity budgets, debt and monetary policy in Japan.
And then t
ake a drink if:
Obama claims he ended the war in Iraq.
Romney fails to note that he didn’t.
Obama mumbles something vaguely incoherent about Afghanistan.
Romney mumbles something vaguely incoherent about Afghanistan.
Obama talks up sanctions on Iran.
Romney says those sanctions are not strong enough, but won’t say what action(s) would be.
Either candidate attempts to provide a detailed assessment of Iran’s nuclear program.
Romney once again botches his criticism of the Obama administration’s Benghazi blunders.
Obama defends his administration’s days-long insistence that the attacks were provoked by a YouTube video critical of Islam.
Romney promises to brand China a currency manipulator.
Obama declares that America must outcompete the rest of the world.
Romney, like just about every presidential candidate for the last few decades, pledges to achieve North American energy independence by 2020, but does not promise to discover unicorns, which is equally likely.
Obama says he wants to end subsidies to big oil without mentioning that he wants to plow those subsidies right back into dubious green energy projects.
Romney accuses Obama of having gone on an apology tour.
Anyone uses the words “mission accomplished.”
Anyone uses the words “brought to justice.”
Anyone mispronounces the name of a foreign country or city. Double shot if they pause to slowly correct themselves.
Anyone, including the moderator, gets mixed up about which war he’s talking about.Special rules:
Take one drink the first time President Obama mentions Osama bin Laden. Take two drinks the second time. And three drinks the third. Keep increasing the number of drinks accordingly each time he mentions him. And so on and so forth, so on the sixth time President Obama mentions bin Laden, you should take six drinks.
Buy a truck full of tequila, drive straight to Mexico, and open a bar under an assumed name if Romney responds to any of Obama’s bin Laden mentions by saying “you didn’t build that.”
Anyone got another one to add to this list?
See author page
@drjohn:
“More heartstrings ”
Is anyone here surprised? *crickets chirping*
2014 – bait
Pakistan – kind of brilliant way for cover
again Romney is wrong. You never say we will leave on this day in the future. Better to say why they don’t deserve our blood, and we will leave now. Obama will say to Romney, “thanks for agreeing with me”.
Let’s remember the Iraq war ended on the schedule Bush set
so veterans should build roads?
The third debate is proving to be between a politician and a statesman.
Someone else will have to define the two, I’m losing brain cells every time Obama speaks.
Not dying, just falling asleep.
“Afghanistan can now protect itself.”
No, Mr. President, as soon as we pull out, the Taliban will take over. Just as they did when the Russians pulled out.
@drjohn:
Well he blew the beginning, middle, and end.
These guys know nothing of war. You win a war by applying such force upon an enemy, that he no longer has the will to resist. That is the only way to win, that fact has been true throughout history, and will never change.
DAMN! The moderator just zinged Obama on Pakistan! Who’s side is he on, anyway?
*Let the Twitter threats begin.*
“This nation, ME” Man this guy is a megalomaniac.
@Doc Holliday:
“so veterans should build roads? ”
If it lets them get to the enemy faster, yes.
Combat engineers! 🙂
@Petercat:
heh, good call, need those combat engineers!
@Doc Holliday:
Well then Pres. Bush got the beginning and the end of he Iraq war right. In between that beginning and end the CIA continued to screw-up. For example the CIA had the Baathist Party elite in its custody custody. The CIA interrogated that Baathist Party and Saddamite military leadership and the CIA failed to obtain any hint of the pre-planned Sunni insurgency. The Baathist military leadership was well aware of the impending Sunni insurgency, because they planned it before the US Invasion. But the CIA was taken by surprise.
It’s not gov’t that causes business success. Yup.
A nuclear Iran is the world’s greatest threat. Yup.
China hacking (industrial esponage) and counterfeit goods. Yup.
Very strong segment.
On trade with China, Romney hits his stride.
And hits Obama’s policies as well.
Hey, Obama, we’re not selling cars to China. We’re building their ability to make their own cars.
Obama has looked trite this debate.
Obama is an asshat. Dems controlled Congress two years before and held a super majority two years after he was elected. Dems could have passed any number of policyies to change course. Or a budget for that matter.
I love teachers meme!
Romney needs to drop the hey Greece didn’t have Bush or two wars but their ENTITLEMENT SOCIETY is bankrupting their country; we are next if we don’t change course. Unsubstainable.
Romney is fighting on the DemonRat playing field. I don’t know, why not ask if the Constitution calls for the federal government to take over all these industries. Why not ask Obama where the Constitution allows the feds to invest in car companies, science, etc. Just have the guts to ask him!
shut your pie hole Hussein! you jagoff!
election over, and no one asked this guy what business or even work experience he has.
growing peace in this country? uh, what?
And, Romney ends the debate with a BIG hammer pounding Obama on jobs, food stamps, etc.
Now for the closing statements.
Obama is pissed, and sounding petty and whining, proud of himself. Telling the same tired falsehoods about Romney’s plans and his own. “Romney’s rich! And his plans won’t work! I…Me…I…Me…”
Romney sounds, as he put it, optimistic, proud of this nation, and, dare I say it?… Presidential.
btw, Bob Schieffer did fine, it was up to our candidate to win it. I call it at a draw, and we left a lot on the table.
Obama’s rhetoric is tired and boring. It is evident that after almost four years in office, judging by the condition of the country, Obama still does not have, experience and maturity, what it takes to govern a country out of its problems. Much to Obama’s embarrassment he still wears his training wheels wherever he goes.
Obama does not have the talent nor integrity that Romney has in one fingernail. Without exaggeration, Obama does not have the honesty and fortitude to fulfill even the smallest of promises he made in 2008.
Obama is a liar. He is a loser. Romney, in the debate, looked and acted presidential and I sincerely believe Romney has the fortitude, experience and maturity needed as president to bring back the prosperity and respect this country so desperately needs. With Romney’s experience, and as president, at the onset, he will put Americans back to work.
God bless Mr. Romney. God bless America.
IDK who won. No home runs or strikes outs. No one really bombed with their base. Obama did come across as high schoolish and angry at times. Romney came out as very passive. But I think that works in the polls. Everyone who wanted Romney to be aggressive is already in Romneys camp.
I think the most interesting statement of the evening belongs to Mr. Romney: “We can’t kill our way out of this mess.”
Obama wrong about status of forces
Obama wrong about Romney’s Detroit position
Curt- do the Marines still use bayonets?
Bonus: Ships don’t go underwater unless they’re going to the bottom to stay
CBS O 53 R 23 Tie 24
@Greg:
New narrative developing? Let’s check google. Yup – media talking point.
For the context – Romney: We Can’t Kill Our Way Out Of This Mess. The Republican nominee says the U.S. needs a coherent strategy to disincentivize radicalism — not just drone attacks (and apologies).
Of course there’s a remote possibility that a lot of people notice the same thing when millions of people are watching the same presentation.
I also noticed Mr. Romney’s half-red/half-blue chameleon tie. Has that observation turned up on your distribution list yet?
@Openid.aol.com/runnswim:
If you come up to bat, take a swing, don’t get called out with the bat on your shoulder. These Republican candidates are spooked by their advisers. They are so afraid to take Obama on personally, that they act like beta males. McCain lost because he was unwilling to really fight, and if Romney loses, it will be for the same reason.
I can’t believe these Republican standard bearers will not take on their socialist opponents. Why won’t these guys pull out a Constitution and ask these leftists why they subvert it. Is this so complicated? Is this so beyond me that I just cant get a clue about U.S. politics?
Or, is it that Beltway politicos have no gonads and they are afraid to take on Obama, even more than previous presidents?
@Openid.aol.com/runnswim:
CBS? LOL!
@mossomo:
Sorry, but I have no idea what that means. Our enemy loves death, just like we love life. The only thing they care about is killing and death. Can we talk nice to them? I am thinking not.
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/331315/what-what-jonah-goldberg
Who knew boats could go underwater?
The focus groups keep going back to the economy. And that’s great.
@Tom in CA: Submarines are “boats.” Ships are not understood to be “boats.”
@Tom in CA, #84:
Sure they can. You’ve never seen Das Boot?
A submarine is a boat. It’s a shortened form of the term submarine boat.
@Doc Holliday:
Can we talk nice to them? I am thinking not.
Placating them with nicieties will never work. Agreed. Advertising that is a great disincentivize. No more bullshit with these people. No more English narrative vs an Arabic narrative. The public message vs the imam messaging.
Doc Holliday
don’t you see?
MITT ROMNEY didn’t want to fall in the OBAMA TRAP, he was poise and classy and devastating for his opponent. OBAMA said AMERICA HAS DICTATE THEM,
MR PRESIDENT, AMERICA do not dictate they help people all over the world,
[not as precise but meaning the same as he said]
bye
Obama noted we dont’ need bayonets in the navy anymore (tell that to SEALS). He noted we dont’ need horses anymore (tell that to SEALS and spec ops in afghanistan mountains). He noted we dont’ need “ships” anymore??? Then made the point that we need ships in pacific to make sure China knows we are serious about keeping lanes open????
@mossomo:
right sir, our politicos allow them to say one thing in English, and joke meetings, and then they say kill the great satan and little satan to their people. We know that, but we don’t call them out.
We all wish our enemy had honor, like the CSA in the Civil War for example. There was a time, and a certain people, who when defeated fairly, gave up. But the Islamofascist enemy has no honor, they will always seek to kill and maim the weakest amongst us. They know nothing of honor, they know nothing of love. They only want to cause misery to the most people they can, that is what they want out of life. We all wish they could be defeated on a battlefield. But the reality is they are like the mosquitos that come every year. We have to kill them when they come, not try to convince them to not come back.
It is not the Western Way to think a war can go on for ever. But if we are going to go on with our way of life, we have to realize this cancerous enemy is just like the plague of crime. WE can’t eradicate it, but we must attack it and destroy it when we have the chance. We have to have the strength to go on with our own lives, realizing that this evil will always be present. If it not for them to quit, it if for us to not quit. If they loved life, if they loved their children, they would stop, but they don’t.
Romney looked tired and lost in the first half of the debate. The bumbled and ahem’d his way through his talking points without rederessing what Obama said. Obama spent the first half of the debate….throwing everything back at Romney. Romney took the bait and answered….instead of continuing to speak about Obama’s record. He recovered somewhat in the 2nd half when Obama looked a little tired and lost. But, Obama won the debate. Whether he won the war or not we’ll see. Already polls are tightening in key states. But, then..that was gonna happen regardless.
It’s all down to fake votes and voter fraud now.
drjohn
big change now
submarine are delicious, a long bun cut in two, fill with your choice,
mine is MEATBALLS, tomato sauce garlicy, lettuce and cheese,
straight from the oven
@mossomo: Pack-EEE-stan?
Just a point, they still issue bayonets in the Marine Corps. Granted most Marines are such good shots that they don’t need to use them that often, but they still have them.
@ilovebeeswarzone:
he was scared to tell Obama off. Obama has tried to destroy what our Founders built. But Republicans listen to K Street advisers, and they say don’t you dare attack this man. We act weak, and if we lose, we deserve it.
I would rather go down swinging. Anyone doubt I would go after Obama?
@Openid.aol.com/runnswim: That’s okay. Obama came out ahead as to who won the second debate but when the people were asked about specific issues like who had a better plan for the economy, Romney wasted him. As long as Romney looked presidential and like he could be CiC, which by early accounts he did, he will have succeeded.
GOVERNOR ROMNEY, I’m glad you agree that …….
me, ANSWERING; I was just being nice and condescending,to your highness
Doc Holliday
absolutly yes he would have deserve it, but MITT ROMNEY did not want to waste
the only 2 minutes they had,
that also would have put him in the same class, but he gave it to him just the same,
bye
EBL
your right after the debate one journalist said,
A SEAL CALL AND SAID WE STILL HAVE BAYONET,
bye