A Broken Economy at Home = A Broken Standing in the World

The final debate is over and I think my heart rate has finally normalized.  (I can't take much more of these).  The political pundits were quick to award Obama with the win, but ironically, cable news programs' focus groups proved once again that Mitt Romney had the edge.

Today conservatives are scratching their heads a little.  Did Romney really let Obama off the hook on Libya?  Wasn't that the freebie question of the night and yet all we heard was Romney give a boring narrative of the Arab Spring?  I was confused and admittedly, still am.  I guess I was just anxious to see Obama try to slither out of the Libya debacle in front of millions of voters.  It just didn't happen.

Image from Fiscal Times

Was it the right thing?

Time will tell---14 days to be exact---but as I have reflected on the debate, I realize that Romney's debate strategy may prove to be brilliant.

Romney did not engage the president on Libya because I believe that he wanted to make just one simple and harsh case against the president's foreign policy failures.  Namely, that America has lost its standing in the world because we are broken at home.

It was a powerful imagery to realize that we are no longer seen as the shining light on the hill because we are burdened and being swallowed by our debt and the reckless spending habits of our leaders.  A broken economy at home = a broken standing in the world.

No "horse and bayonet" zinger from the president will overshadow that imagery and Americans were reminded that it happened under this president's watch.

Image from Fox News

Mitt Romney proved that he is presidential and like it or not, he looks ready to fill the oval office.  Voters saw it and had to feel confident of his command of foreign policy details.  Mitt Romney knows his stuff.

The most powerful moment of the night for me came when Mitt Romney talked about Obama's "apology tour."  He said,

"The reason I call it an apology tour is because you went to the Middle East and you flew to Egypt and to Saudi Arabia and to Turkey and Iraq.  And by the way, you skipped Israel, our closest friend in the region, but you went to other nations.  And by the way, they noticed that you skipped Israel.  And then in those nations, and on Arabic TV, you said that America had been dismissive and derisive.  You said that on occasion America had dictated to other nations.  No Mr. President, America has freed other nations from dictators."

Strong words and I am confident that it resonated with the right people.

***

The race remains close.  So, did the debate change a thing?  Well, I think the president enthused his base, but I don't' think he won any new votes.  And it would be hard to imagine that Mitt Romney lost any of his new supporters.

It was a draw.

So where does it go from here?  14 days from today, this will all come to a close.  It is hard to predict the outcome, especially when I have heard that in states like Ohio, it will literally come down to 8 votes per precinct.  Really, 8 votes per precinct.

I guess my feeling is this, if the president has yet to destroy his rival, he probably can't.  If the president has failed to convince independents to rally behind him, he probably won't.  If the president has failed to convince Americans who overwhelmingly loved and adored and supported him just 4 years ago, zingers about horses and bayonets aren't going to be enough to attract them with the same enthusiasm.

Why?  Because this time around, the president has a record and let's be frank, it stinks.

Image from Politico

It's time to recover.  It's time to get it right.  It's time to say, thank you Mr. President, we know you tried, we know you wanted to help, we know you thought you could, but you didn't.  And as I always say, my family can't afford to find out what happens if you get it wrong...again.

Please step aside and let's let a professional finally get it right.

Go Mitt.