The Token Republican Live Blog: Foreign Policy Debate

9:40pm: Calling it a slight win for Obama. Obama came out as confident as I expected, and many of Romney’s policies were essentially the same with a few minor differences. Furthermore, Romney missed out on many opportunities to differentiate himself from Obama, namely on the country’s relationship with Israel. Romney essentially offered the same answer as Obama, while I would have liked to see him take a more aggressive stance. In the end, Obama won simply for the fact that his presidency has been mostly successful in the foreign policy arena.

I would have liked to see the candidates discuss Europe and some other regions of the world not in the Middle East or China. I was disappointed by not only the scope of topics covered tonight, but also the answers the candidates provided. In the end, the big losers were the debate watchers, who learned very little about the candidates and saw many questions go unanswered.

9:33pm: Romney closes. First mention of Greece all debate. “This nation is the hope of the earth.”

9:31pm: Obama emphasizing class warfare, future energy sources, and Jon Huntsman “nation building here at home.”

9:29pm: Wash U internet problems again. Onto the final statements.

9:24pm: And somehow we are discussing the auto bailouts.

9:21pm: Women significantly prefer Obama. Big problem for Romney

9:20pm: Romney claims that we are already in a (silent) trade war with China.

9:18pm: “We don’t have to be an adversary” – Mitt Romney on China. Quite the change in tone from the past two debates.

9:17pm: Romney says the world’s greatest threat is a nuclear Iran. I can’t argue with that.

9:15pm: Greatest threat to America. Obama says terrorist networks.

9:14pm: Onto China. Look for Romney to be aggressive.

9:12pm: Who isn’t pro-drones?

9:09pm: Bob Schieffer mixes up Obama and Osama.

9:07pm: Both candidates have completely dodged the question. Neither candidate told us what they would do if Afghans weren’t ready to lead in 2014.

9:05pm: Romney makes good points about Pakistan. Pakistan is a critical nation to have on good terms.

9:04pm: Onto Afghanistan. Over/under 2.5 times that Obama mentions Bin Laden.

9:00pm: “I look around the world and I don’t see our influence growing” -Mitt Romney

8:58pm: Obama, you don’t care about Israel just because you went to Yad Vashem. It is inexcusable that you have yet to visit our greatest ally in the world.

8:56pm: Romney with a nice stab on Obama’s apology tour.

8:54pm: I think the big difference between Obama and Romney on foreign policy is that Romney wants to visibly lead while Obama prefers to work from behind closed doors.

8:50pm: Obama’s goal: get Iran to listen to UN and end their nuclear program.

8:49pm: Romney suggests tightening sanctions on Iran. Romney is outlining a peaceful plan that should resonate with voters.

8:48pm: Romney, “When I’m President of the USA, we will stand with Israel.”

8:47pm: Obama also promises that Iran will not get a nuclear weapon

8:46pm: Obama, “I will stand with Israel if Israel is attacked.” Not quite the statement I’m looking for.

8:45pm: GREAT QUESTION: Is an attack on Israel and attack on the USA? Lets see what you got Obama.

8:44pm: Obama, naval warships are still relevant. Romney isn’t talking about bayonets and horses.

8:41pm: How does Wash U get away with such bad wireless? I mean, its almost more of a travesty than Obamacare.

8:38pm: Massachusetts is Romney’s bread and butter for education

8:36pm: And we are onto Education…I thought this debate was supposed to be about foreign policy.

8:35pm: I still haven’t heard anything new 35 minutes in.

8:33pm: Over/Under: Number of times Romney mentions his 5 point plan for the remainder of the debate. I will say 3.

8:32pm: If the Florida Undecided Voters graph is any indication of who is winning, Obama is on top.

8:30pm: Romney is all about a strong military and economy. Obama is about dispensable nations.

8:29pm: In order to fulfill our role in the world, America must be strong.

8:28pm: Do we only have 42 allies around the world?

8:26pm: Our purpose: A peaceful planet – Mitt Romney

8:25pm: Mubarak>Muslim Brotherhood

8:24pm: 24 minutes until Obama mentioned JFK.

8:22pm: So, we have been talking about Syria for 5 minutes and the candidates are still arguing over an issue they nearly 100% agree upon.

8:21pm: Obama sounds like a professor giving a lecture.

8:18pm: Romney wisely points out that Syria is an opportunity for us. They are Iran’s only ally and if we can get rid of Assad, Iran will be isolated even more.

8:17pm: Obama is the king of “buts”

8:14pm: Obama talks slow

8:11pm: Obama with a zinger. Says Romney has 1980s foreign policy views, 1950s social views, and 1920s economic views. However, we actually don’t know what Romney believes.

8:10pm: Romney’s only chance this debate is to involve economics.

8:08pm: Obama has kept Americans safe these past 4 years. But can we give him another 4?

8:04pm: Romney mentions women in his initial answer to the Libya question. Good idea considering his weak performance last time around

8:02pm: Middle East first. Surprise Surprise

7:49pm: Last week, a revived President Obama gave a strong debate performance to halt Romney’s momentum. On foreign policy issues in the second debate, Obama looked strong and confident, as he should be considering his numerous foreign policy successes. However, Romney will come prepared tonight, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the underdog successfully attacks the President on China and Iran. Clearly, Romney was not prepared last debate for Obama to take such a hard stance on Libya, so I would expect the former Governor to be more prepared this time around. Furthermore, I would expect a question on the European Financial Crisis, which could play into Romney’s strengths.

This is only a taste of what to watch for tonight. I wouldn’t be surprised if questions regarding Israel, Latin America, and Eastern Africa are also asked. All we can really hope for is as many straight forward answers from the candidates as possible. Despite the time spent on foreign policy in the previous debates, there are many questions that remain unanswered.