President Obama went on the attack against Mitt Romney again last night in their final debate — a tactic usually reserved for the challenger.
The president, no doubt, felt the need — given Romney’s recent surge in the polls and Obama’s disappointing record on foreign-policy issues, the topic of the debate.
But Romney more than held his own, proving himself a more-than-credible potential commander-in-chief.
By that alone, he gets the win.
Indeed, Romney demolished the Democrats’ caricature of him as a quick-on-the-trigger foreign-policy naïf. He offered a realistic strategic vision and demonstrated the unbridled, but clear-headed, optimism needed to command world respect.
Romney came off as bipartisan and gracious, giving Obama credit for some successes and agreeing with him surprisingly often. In fact, once again he appeared downright, well . . . presidential.
(Obama, in sharp contrast, diminished himself — particularly with his condescending and patronizing lecture about horses and bayonets.)
Romney effectively challenged the president on his overall record, scoring telling points on key issues.
Commending Obama for killing Osama bin Laden, Romney insisted, “We can’t kill our way out of this mess,” that America must “put in place a very comprehensive and robust strategy to help the world of Islam . . . reject this radical violent extremism.”
An extremism, he noted pointedly, “which is certainly not on the run.”
Unfortunately, Romney once again failed to press Obama on his handling of the 9/11 Benghazi consulate attack.
But he hit the president hard on that “apology tour” early in his term, saying Iran “saw weakness where it had expected to find American strength” after Obama “said he would meet with all the world’s worst actors in his first year.”
Added Romney: “In those nations, and on Arabic TV, you said America had been dismissive and derisive. You said that on occasion America had dictated to other nations.
“Mr. President,” he said, “America has not dictated to other nations. We have freed other nations from dictators.”
That was a rousing defense of assertive US leadership, of a kind that’s been woefully absent over the last four years.
Meanwhile, Romney also noted the president’s own lack of vision, saying “attacking me is not an agenda.”
But it was Romney’s hope-filled view of a better world — led by a strong America — that served as the debate’s take-away.
“I’m optimistic about the future,” he said. “We have an opportunity to . . .make [the] world a safer place.
“America’s going to come back,” he vowed.
Hear, hear.