The Third Presidential Debate: Romney Becomes Obama, Comes Close To Endorsing Him!
The Many Faces Of Mitt: Who Knew He Would Don An Obama Mask?
The third Presidential debate centered on foreign policy and it quickly became a non-debate. It devolved into 90 minutes of Mitt Romney praising and agreeing with almost all of President Barack Obama's foreign policy decisions. Towards the end of the debate, I was expecting Mitt Romney to fully endorse President Obama's campaign. Despite the fact that Romney has, throughout the campaign, belittled and demeaned every foreign policy decision made by Obama, Monday night's debate clearly demonstrated that Romney has the ability to channel and assume personalities other than his own when it suits his needs. The foreign policy debate presented such an opportunity. Romney needed to show that he could look and sound Presidential and what better way to do that than to echo a President. Doesn't matter that the President Romney chose to echo was the one he is running against, he echoed...
So Romney May Know There Is A Country Named Mali, But Does He Know Where Mitt Romney Is?
For those of you who do not know, Mali is in western Africa. Romney talked a little bit about Mali and although it is doubtful that he could point it out on a map, it was clear that during Monday's debate, Romney couldn't find Romney on a map. Indeed, Romney was nowhere to be found.
After a year of Romney standing in unison with every Republican who has been handed a microphone and all emphatically stating that Obama's foreign policy has been the worst they have ever seen, that Romney disappeared. He looked like Mitt, sweated like Mitt, even had a voice that sounded like Mitt. The difference was the new and unusual words that came out of this Mitt's mouth. "I agree with the President." It didn't happen just once. It happened throughout the entire debate. Suddenly and with no warning, the Obama that has been characterized as "weak" on foreign policy became this Mitt's darling.
The GOP Reaction
The Republican talkers have ignored everything that Romney said during the debate. Instead, they are praising the fact that their candidate showed up in a suit and "looked and sounded" Presidential. Really? Looking and sounding Presidential? Apparently, in their minds, all it takes to look and sound Presidential is to parrot and praise the current President's policies. They didn't think so a couple of weeks ago. They didn't think that until the debate was over.
Prior to the debate, they were praising Romney's sabre-rattling and threats of uni-lateral military strikes against Iran. They were thrilled when Romney suggested that we should have left 20,000 troops in Iraq. They were orgasmic when Romney suggested that we may not leave Afghanistan...ever... But when pro-Obama Romney showed up for the debate, he "looked and sounded" Presidential...
The GOP is so intent on regaining power that they do not care what their candidate says. They are in agreement with Grover Norquist, the true party leader. "We don't need a President who thinks. We just need one with enough working digits to sign these things (the Ryan budget)."
The GOP also knows that 70% of Mitt Romney's foreign affairs advisors come from the Bush-Cheney administration. They are the very people who brought us the war in Iraq and the Bush doctrine of the efficacy of military pre-emptive strikes as opposed to negotiation or diplomacy.
Have no fear, neo-cons! If Romney becomes President, he will bring Bush's advisors with him to the White House. They will determine our foreign policy. They will introduce us to the real Mitt Romney...or at least, the Mitt they want us to see.
