• Photo
DC Download: Town hall brawl a draw

President Barack Obama and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney exchange views during the second presidential debate at Hofstra University, Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2012. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

  • Race for the White House 2012
Immigration overhaul? GOP, Dem senators vow action
Senators agree on immigration reform

Side by side, leading Democratic and Republican senators …

Biden's recent moves stoking chatter about 2016
Biden's moves stoking chatter about '16

Joe Biden is thanking Democratic supporters in the afterglow of…

Electoral College count affirms Obama's win
Vote count affirms Obama's win

It's official. A tally of the Electoral College vote affirms …

2016 politics on display as Congress ends term
2016 politics on display

While the next presidential primary voting is still three years…

Electoral College set to affirm Obama re-election
Electoral College: Now it's official

Tradition trumped suspense Monday as members of the Electoral …

Advertisement

5 things to watch for in the presidential debate

Obama, Romney in final direct clash

Updated: Monday, 22 Oct 2012, 7:03 AM EDT
Published : Monday, 22 Oct 2012, 7:03 AM EDT

(AP) - Five things to watch for when President Barack Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney debate foreign policy Monday night:

1. THE TIEBREAKER: Romney ran away with the first. Obama edged him in the second. Stakes are high for their third and final showdown. Does that mean a repeat of last week's ornery tone? Or will the gravity of the issues — war, terrorism, world leadership — inspire more dignified discourse?

2. REMATCH ON LIBYA: It sparked one of the hottest exchanges of the second debate. And there's more to it than when Obama called the consulate attack an "act of terror." Expect to hear about failed security, intelligence lapses and the Obama administration's shifting account of what happened in Libya. After Obama's parry last week, Romney gets another try.

3. ROMNEY'S TEST: The former governor and businessman has limited foreign experience. He took hits for comments that ruffled British and Palestinian leaders last summer, and for hastening to criticize the administration's response even as chaotic events were unfolding in Libya and Egypt. This debate is the prime moment for Romney to display the knowledge and judgment to lead on the world stage.

4. ON DEFENSE: Obama must defend four years of foreign policy. Expect Romney to accuse the president of weakening America's world leadership by mishandling Iran's nuclear ambitions, the pullout from Afghanistan, the Syrian conflict and the U.S. relationship with Israel. Can Obama rebut that criticism and focus on ending the Iraq War and killing Osama bin Laden?

5. A NEW MEME? First Big Bird. Then "binders full of women." Watch Twitter to see whether another phrase catches fire while the debaters are still onstage.

blog comments powered by Disqus
Advertisement
Advertisement

Advertisement

More on WISHTV.com