The last one

Another debate? The final debate? Do I have to watch it?

Apparently, yes. Romney is said to be in the lead now, but not in crucial Ohio, which the conventional wisdom (and political history) says he has to win.

Hope he kicks ass again by remaining firm and being disarmingly nice at the same time, which he has so far displayed a remarkable ability to do. Foreign policy is said to be a major theme tonight, and moderator Bob Schieffer is a very clever old leftie who is a past master of sounding like Mr. Common Sense, so Romney will have to be very careful, because unless Schieffer makes a serious error, Romney won’t have the advantage of seeming like an underdog Republican being savaged by a biased leftist.

Should be interesting.

MORE: Obama has the same weird, steely, unchanging expression on his face whenever Romney speaks. I’m not sure how that will go over, but it seems carefully rehearsed — as if he has had access to a very professional acting coach.

MORE: I wish Romney would call Obama on his repeated insistence that the U.S. needs to do some “nation building” at home. It is condescending and compares the U.S. to Germany and Japan after the war, or Iraq.

MORE (10:19 p.m.): Romney’s tough talk about China will play well around here.

AND MORE: Much is being made of Obama’s “horses and bayonets” remark, and as Axelrod just pontificated on CNN, “We don’t need the Navy of 1916.”

The left is loudly gloating and claiming victory. CNN analysts seem very happy.

But I must a question.

Why are there still bayonets on military rifles? 

I think it’s obvious that CNN will say Obama “won.”

And so what?
MORE: Krauthammer thinks Romney won by not going after Obama on specific foreign policy points, and says that Romney seemed presidential, while Obama seemed petty and argumentative. FWIW I agree.
MORE: What was the thinking behind making the very last debate be about foreign policy? Was this an attempt to advantage the president? It seems to me that because of the nature of the office, the president has more direct control and influence over foreign policy than anything else, which gives an incumbent president an advantage and any challenger at an inherent disadvantage.
If that is kept in mind, when the dust settles, Romney’s respectful deference to the president on foreign policy matters may seem more presidential than Obama’s repeated nitpicking with Romney.
AND MORE: Speaking of foreign policy, we have a great new regime in Egypt, don’t we?

Egypt’s President Mohammed Morsi participated in prayers over the weekend in which the preacher urged Allah to “destroy the Jews and their supporters.”

In footage of the service from Matrouh governorate’s el-Tenaim Mosque screened on Egyptian state television on Friday, Morsi was shown in fervent prayer as cleric Futouh Abd Al-Nabi Mansour, the local head of religious endowment, declared, “Oh Allah, absolve us of our sins, strengthen us, and grant us victory over the infidels. Oh Allah, destroy the Jews and their supporters. Oh Allah, disperse them, rend them asunder. Oh Allah, demonstrate Your might and greatness upon them. Show us Your omnipotence, oh Lord.”

According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Morsi could be seen mouthing “amen” to these sentiments.

destroy the Jews and their supporters?

Rend them asunder?

I understand Romney’s reluctance, but I wish he had pressed Obama more about our support for leaders who behave like utter barbarians.

UPDATE: Everyone misspeaks from time to time, and Bob Schieffer committed a very embarrassing gaffe when he mistakenly said “Obama bin Laden.”

Schieffer will be forgiven, but imagine if Romney had mistakenly said the same thing.


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4 responses to “The last one”

  1. Neil Avatar
    Neil

    Bayonets: You’ve got to carry a rifle, you’ve got to carry a knife. May as well stick with tradition and make the one fit on the other. Hey, it could come in handy someday. Who can say for sure you’ll never, ever run out of ammo?

  2. Kathy Kinsley Avatar
    Kathy Kinsley

    What Neil said. Basic tactics – ALWAYS have a backup. Knife, rock, cane-sword, broken beer bottle – WHATEVER. And a bayonet works fine.

  3. Steve Skubinna Avatar
    Steve Skubinna

    Whenever somebody makes the stupid remark about bringing a knife to a gunfight, I respond “That’s exactly what I do – along with my gun, and another gun, and another knife, and everyone I can round up with guns and knives.”

    There’s no such thing as an obsolete weapon. If it could kill or main two millennia ago it can still do it today.

    Obama’s big mistake was in not making air quotes. I can imagine Axelrod doing a face palm and muttering “I TOLD you, you doofus – don’t forget the air quotes. Now, instead of looking like an edgy hipster you look like Biff from Back To The Future.”

  4. […] Scheiffer is a devious old lefty who hides behind a carefully contrived Middle America ethos, and I have never trusted him. However, his latest remark comparing Americans who want to preserve […]