I’ve done all the other debates, might as well do the last one. I like foreign policy. I’m sure there will be a lot of pointless rhetoric (as with everything) but at least the other people are the bad guys. I also think there’s a big distinction between the candidates, with Romney favoring a more traditional American Superpower worldview, with Obama taking a more subtle worldview which doesn’t project power so virulently.
Anyway, coverage to start when the debate does.
2058: I’m watching this on ABC again, and Broke Girls is on before the debate. I’d atrocious, and I’ve only seen 3 minutes of it.
2100: Bob Schieffer huh. Good, both Jen and I like the seated debates better. It’s harder to be an asshat to the moderator when he’s 2.5 feet in front of you.
2103: The Cuban Missile Crisis was pretty nutty. We did a great job on that one.
2104: I wish they’d just start the debate. Romney is sometimes funny not on purpose. I like his new, gentler approach. Apparently “mean” didn’t poll well. We can’t “kill our way out of this mess”. We’re currently trying to Drone our way out of it, and it’s not working very well. We kill some good people to kill, but every dead child destabilizes Pakistan a little more. Forget Iran, Pakistan HAS nukes.
2107: Obama now taking credit for Libya. And going after Romney.
2108: Romney to go after the bad guys. He’s going to interrupt them. He’s very skilled at that. Al Qaeda Interrupted.
2109: Ugh. I hate economic development in the Middle East, but it’s perhaps a necessity. Again, think of Pakistan. We give them so much money, and all they do is suck.
2110: Obama is picking at gaffes, not answering questions. He’s fixated on Romney’s flip-flopping, not on himself. I don’t like the tenor of his style tonight. Romney is conciliatory tonight, and Obama is coming out as a jerk. He’s doing it haltingly too.
2112: “Attacking me is not an agenda.” So far, Romney is winning, no question.
2114: Status of forces something something something. He said he said going on here.
2115: Ha! Obama got the Israel name drop in first! Vegas had Romney as a huge favorite on that. He’s got to be boiling.
2116: Let’s be clear, we’ve been ineffective in Syria. And it’s true, it’s a giant cluster. We can’t just arm whomever, ala Al Qaeda in the 80s.
2118: Romney and Obama just agreed. Let’s see if they argue about it anyway.
2121: For the record, killing Ghadfi WAS scope creep, when compared to the original UN resolution.
2124: Sorry, drifted off for a second. Obama namedropped Israel again. I thought he was anti-Israel.
2125: It’s hard to predict the future, and we liked Mubarak for long enough and he’s not a radical. This enlightened despot thing has always been a sticky subject for America.
2127: Yeah, Iran should be criticizing OUR economy. His opinion really matters…
2128: That’s awkward – Romney jumped the gun on the next question, and then had the first statement on that question. He has to say the same thing twice in a row.
2129: Man, I have another hour of this? By the way, I go in to work at 11:30 tonight and stay until 9 AM. That should be fun. Then repeat for the rest of the week.
2130: Romney just spoke for about 4 minutes in a row. I’d say our alliances are plenty strong in Asia, as Japan, S. Korea, Vietnam, the Philippines, and sort of Taiwan are all terrified of China.
2132: We cut oil because of the great recession. Everyone cut oil when industrial output plummeted.
2133: Romney just ignored the question, and now we’re talking about the economy. He has a 5-point plan! Yeah, zap those unions! I can’t stand unions. Meh, we’re far from Greece. I bet he had that statement prepared, and his handlers said, “if you find a question boring, just throw in that 5 point plan.”
2137: Give the kids an iPad!
2138: Where is Romney gonna get the money for defense? Obamacare.
2140: Obama back to the economy again. Yes, but our engineers make more than China’s engineers. Different costs to execute the same program between countries.
2143: Good news, the sequestration will not happen. Phew. Hey! Horses and bayonets! Ever heard of an aircraft carrier Governor Romney?! Heheheh! That was great. And he doesn’t like Romney’s website! I like that section, it was funny.
2145: Is an attack on Israel an attack on the United States? Obama: it already sort of is and it will sort of continue to be. Iran’s economy is falling to pieces, true.
2147: Romney’s got Israel’s back. Romney wants MORE crippling sanctions. Well, what is Israel picks the fight with Iran, then what do we do? Cause once they hit Netanyahooooo’s cartoon bomb red line, they’re going to try to ineffectively bust their bunkers.
2152: Romney is accusing Obama of trying to engage in diplomacy with other countries. Shame on you, you filthy apologist.
2154: Whoppers. Did you know that Wendy’s is bigger than Burger King? I was confused when I heard that.
2156: We have not dictated to other nations, we have freed from dictators. That’s a packaged remark.
2157: Obama saw real things in Israel, Romney raised money.
2159: Glad you threw out that question, instead of just ignoring it. Which is OK, it was a semi-dumb question. But then he took the rest of the time to talk about other stuff. First rule of debating: Always use as much time as you possibly can.
2202: In Obama’s opinion, we should have killed Bin Laden. Controversial to no one.
2203: Schieffer points out that Romney rambled also. Glad Romney took it in stride. He’s not terrible. I liked Huntsman the best, but the Etch-A-Sketch Romney’s not terrible.
2207: Afghanistan and Iraq might both fall apart before the end of the next term, whoever is president.
2208: Did Schieffer just called him Obama Bin Laden? And what about that Dr that helped us get Bin Laden? What an injustice that was…we should have taken him with us when we got Bin Laden. I’d divorce Jen if she had 100 nuclear weapons. No offense honey, but that’s just irresponsible.
2211: The F-35 is the US’s last manned fighter aircraft. Drones to reign supreme, and we are going to need to make some real rules about that. What if Mexico started bombing drug figures in Arizona? Would we be cool with that?
2216: I don’t like protectionism. But I would have lived cheaper tires.
2217: Romney and Obama both make conciliatory statements toward China.
2219: Romney just made a good point about the trade war, and illustrated it well too. Good stuff from Romney.
2221: Obama is not doing well tonight. He’s trying to fixate on Romney and it’s not working.
2223: All the sudden Romney is trying to stay above the mud slinging. It’s a tactical move, not a life choice. But it’s still working for me at least. It makes Obama look childish. He antagonized him for two debates, got him all stirred up, then backed off. A clever plan.
2226: I wonder who was wrong about that whole bankruptcy business.
2227: Both Obama and Romney are tweeting while they’re debating. Are they doing it directly from their minds? Don’t tell me those tweets aren’t really from them. Appleton, WI! I think he used that last time.
2228: Closing statements. BTW, Lynn University? Never heard of it. Obama in the middle of a good closing statement. Unless Romney really botches his closing, he won this debate, however.
2231: I do get the sense that Romney is winging this closing statement. Bad idea. Obama was muddled throughout, but left everyone with a good taste in their mouth. Romney is now going to work across the aisle. He would NEVER have made it out of the primary if he said that then.
2233: Romney won this, 65-35. America’s not the hope of the earth though, but whatever. Mormon might not understand that.
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