Boca Raton, Florida:
President Barack Obama sharply challenged Mitt Romney on foreign policy as the two presidential rivals squared off in their third and final debate with the race in a dead heat two weeks before Election Day.
President Obama used Monday night's debate on foreign policy to criticise Mr Romney's support for beginning the war in Iraq, for opposing his plans to withdraw troops from Iraq, for inconsistent stances on Afghanistan and for opposing nuclear treaties with Russia. (Rate the Speakers here)
"Every time you've offered an opinion, you've been wrong," President Obama said.
Mr Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, responded that "attacking me is not an agenda" for dealing with a dangerous world. He accused President Obama of sending the wrong signals to Iran's leaders by showing weakness in the Middle East.
"We're four years closer to a nuclear Iran," he said. Still, Mr Romney stressed that war is a last option to prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon, softening the hawkish tone that had been a hallmark of his campaign.
If and how the debate would affect the November 6 presidential election was not clear. Foreign policy, the theme of the debate at Lynn University, in Boca Raton, Florida, has not been a major issue in a race centered on the US economy. But both candidates were determined to appear to be strong leaders, rallying their supporters and winning over the remaining undecided voters.
With the final debate behind them, both candidates are launching a two-week sprint to Election Day on November 6. President Obama is slated to speak in six states during a two-day trip that begins Wednesday. Mr Romney intends to visit two or three states a day.
Neither candidate scored a knockout punch in Monday's final debate, as both men reined in the confrontational sniping that had marked their testy encounter last week, when President Obama needed a comeback after a listless performance in their first debate on October 3. With polls showing few voters likely to be swayed by foreign affairs, the candidates repeatedly turned the discussion back to the slowly recovering U.S. economy in the debate moderated by veteran newsman Bob Schieffer of CBS News.
Mr Romney, though, was more measured than President Obama, agreeing with the president on a number of issues, perhaps seeking to appear more moderate to centrist voters who may determine the election's outcome. He barely mentioned what has become the hottest foreign policy issue in the campaign: the Obama's administration's handling of the attack on the US Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that killed the US ambassador and three other Americans.
President Obama, from the opening moments, wasn't as subdued. He said Mr Romney would reinstate the unpopular foreign policies of President George W Bush. He accused him of frequently changing positions on how he would have handled Iraq and Afghanistan and jabbed at Mr Romney's comments during the campaign that Russia is the United States' No. 1 geopolitical foe.
"Governor, when it comes to our foreign policy, you seem to want to import the foreign policies of the 1980s, just like the social policies of the 1950s and the economic policies of the 1920s," President Obama said.
Mr Romney said that despite early hopes, the ouster of despotic regimes in Egypt, Libya and elsewhere over the past year has resulted in a "rising tide of chaos." He said the president has failed to come up with a coherent policy to grapple with change sweeping the Middle East.
Mr Romney described an Obama trip to the Middle East early in his presidency as an "apology tour" that bolstered US adversaries while bypassing close ally Israel. President Obama called that accusation the "biggest whopper" of the presidential campaign.
After Mr Romney, criticising the administration's defense budget, disapprovingly said the US Navy has fewer ships than at any time since the end of World War I, President Obama mockingly accused his rival of not understanding how the military works. "We also have fewer horses and bayonets because the nature of our military has changed," he said. "We have these things called aircraft carriers where planes land on them."
Foreign policy is generally seen as President Obama's strength and he highlighted two of his campaign's main points: that he gave the order leading to the killing of terrorist leader Osama bin Laden and fulfilled a promise to withdraw US troops from Iraq. Mr Romney, a multimillionaire businessman, has little foreign affairs experience.
Mr Romney congratulated President Obama "on taking out Osama bin Laden and taking on the leadership of Al Qaeda." But he added, "we can't kill our way out of this mess. ... We must have a comprehensive and robust strategy."
Both talked about being tough on China's trade practices they see as hurting US businesses. That's a big issue in the industrial swing state of Ohio. The election is a state-by-state contest and the outcome in nine swing states that are not predictably Democratic or Republican, including Ohio, will determine the winner.
Mr Romney repeated his threat to designate China a currency manipulator and punish it for intellectual property theft. He said China can be a partner, but "that does not mean they can just roll all over us and take our jobs."
President Obama described China as both an adversary and a potential international partner. He defended his record in addressing China's trade violations, saying his administration had brought more cases than George W Bush had in two terms.
There were several areas of agreement. Mr Romney backed President Obama's decision to remove support for Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Both also said they oppose sending US troops to Syria where opposition groups are fighting to topple President Bashar Assad's regime.
Mr Romney said the 2010 surge of 33,000 US troops in Afghanistan was a success and asserted that efforts to train Afghan security forces are on track to enable the US and its allies to put the Afghans fully in charge of security by the end of 2014. He said that US forces should complete their withdrawal on that schedule; previously he has criticised the setting of a specific withdrawal date.
Both candidates underscored their support for Israel against a threat from Iran. "If Israel is attacked, we have their back," said Mr Romney - moments after President Obama vowed, "I will stand with Israel if Israel is attacked."
Following the debate, President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden campaign together in Ohio on Tuesday. The president then splits off on what his campaign is describing as a two-day "around-the-clock" blitz to six more battleground states. He'll be in constant motion - making voter calls and sleeping aboard Air Force One as he flies overnight on Wednesday from Nevada to Tampa, Florida.
Mr Romney and running mate Paul Ryan are picking up the pace of their campaigning as well, and their schedule reflects an overarching strategy to drive up Republican vote totals in areas already friendly to the Republican nominee such as the Denver suburbs and Cincinnati, Ohio.
Mr Romney and Mr Ryan start their two-week dash in Henderson, Nevada, then hopscotch to the Denver area for a rally with rocker-rapper Kid Rock and country music's Rodney Atkins at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
Both sides are working furiously to lock down every possible early vote, and the results are evident in the 4.4 million people who've already cast ballots.
President Obama used Monday night's debate on foreign policy to criticise Mr Romney's support for beginning the war in Iraq, for opposing his plans to withdraw troops from Iraq, for inconsistent stances on Afghanistan and for opposing nuclear treaties with Russia. (Rate the Speakers here)
"Every time you've offered an opinion, you've been wrong," President Obama said.
Mr Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, responded that "attacking me is not an agenda" for dealing with a dangerous world. He accused President Obama of sending the wrong signals to Iran's leaders by showing weakness in the Middle East.
"We're four years closer to a nuclear Iran," he said. Still, Mr Romney stressed that war is a last option to prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon, softening the hawkish tone that had been a hallmark of his campaign.
If and how the debate would affect the November 6 presidential election was not clear. Foreign policy, the theme of the debate at Lynn University, in Boca Raton, Florida, has not been a major issue in a race centered on the US economy. But both candidates were determined to appear to be strong leaders, rallying their supporters and winning over the remaining undecided voters.
With the final debate behind them, both candidates are launching a two-week sprint to Election Day on November 6. President Obama is slated to speak in six states during a two-day trip that begins Wednesday. Mr Romney intends to visit two or three states a day.
Neither candidate scored a knockout punch in Monday's final debate, as both men reined in the confrontational sniping that had marked their testy encounter last week, when President Obama needed a comeback after a listless performance in their first debate on October 3. With polls showing few voters likely to be swayed by foreign affairs, the candidates repeatedly turned the discussion back to the slowly recovering U.S. economy in the debate moderated by veteran newsman Bob Schieffer of CBS News.
Mr Romney, though, was more measured than President Obama, agreeing with the president on a number of issues, perhaps seeking to appear more moderate to centrist voters who may determine the election's outcome. He barely mentioned what has become the hottest foreign policy issue in the campaign: the Obama's administration's handling of the attack on the US Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that killed the US ambassador and three other Americans.
President Obama, from the opening moments, wasn't as subdued. He said Mr Romney would reinstate the unpopular foreign policies of President George W Bush. He accused him of frequently changing positions on how he would have handled Iraq and Afghanistan and jabbed at Mr Romney's comments during the campaign that Russia is the United States' No. 1 geopolitical foe.
"Governor, when it comes to our foreign policy, you seem to want to import the foreign policies of the 1980s, just like the social policies of the 1950s and the economic policies of the 1920s," President Obama said.
Mr Romney said that despite early hopes, the ouster of despotic regimes in Egypt, Libya and elsewhere over the past year has resulted in a "rising tide of chaos." He said the president has failed to come up with a coherent policy to grapple with change sweeping the Middle East.
Mr Romney described an Obama trip to the Middle East early in his presidency as an "apology tour" that bolstered US adversaries while bypassing close ally Israel. President Obama called that accusation the "biggest whopper" of the presidential campaign.
After Mr Romney, criticising the administration's defense budget, disapprovingly said the US Navy has fewer ships than at any time since the end of World War I, President Obama mockingly accused his rival of not understanding how the military works. "We also have fewer horses and bayonets because the nature of our military has changed," he said. "We have these things called aircraft carriers where planes land on them."
Foreign policy is generally seen as President Obama's strength and he highlighted two of his campaign's main points: that he gave the order leading to the killing of terrorist leader Osama bin Laden and fulfilled a promise to withdraw US troops from Iraq. Mr Romney, a multimillionaire businessman, has little foreign affairs experience.
Mr Romney congratulated President Obama "on taking out Osama bin Laden and taking on the leadership of Al Qaeda." But he added, "we can't kill our way out of this mess. ... We must have a comprehensive and robust strategy."
Both talked about being tough on China's trade practices they see as hurting US businesses. That's a big issue in the industrial swing state of Ohio. The election is a state-by-state contest and the outcome in nine swing states that are not predictably Democratic or Republican, including Ohio, will determine the winner.
Mr Romney repeated his threat to designate China a currency manipulator and punish it for intellectual property theft. He said China can be a partner, but "that does not mean they can just roll all over us and take our jobs."
President Obama described China as both an adversary and a potential international partner. He defended his record in addressing China's trade violations, saying his administration had brought more cases than George W Bush had in two terms.
There were several areas of agreement. Mr Romney backed President Obama's decision to remove support for Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Both also said they oppose sending US troops to Syria where opposition groups are fighting to topple President Bashar Assad's regime.
Mr Romney said the 2010 surge of 33,000 US troops in Afghanistan was a success and asserted that efforts to train Afghan security forces are on track to enable the US and its allies to put the Afghans fully in charge of security by the end of 2014. He said that US forces should complete their withdrawal on that schedule; previously he has criticised the setting of a specific withdrawal date.
Both candidates underscored their support for Israel against a threat from Iran. "If Israel is attacked, we have their back," said Mr Romney - moments after President Obama vowed, "I will stand with Israel if Israel is attacked."
Following the debate, President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden campaign together in Ohio on Tuesday. The president then splits off on what his campaign is describing as a two-day "around-the-clock" blitz to six more battleground states. He'll be in constant motion - making voter calls and sleeping aboard Air Force One as he flies overnight on Wednesday from Nevada to Tampa, Florida.
Mr Romney and running mate Paul Ryan are picking up the pace of their campaigning as well, and their schedule reflects an overarching strategy to drive up Republican vote totals in areas already friendly to the Republican nominee such as the Denver suburbs and Cincinnati, Ohio.
Mr Romney and Mr Ryan start their two-week dash in Henderson, Nevada, then hopscotch to the Denver area for a rally with rocker-rapper Kid Rock and country music's Rodney Atkins at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
Both sides are working furiously to lock down every possible early vote, and the results are evident in the 4.4 million people who've already cast ballots.
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