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In Final 2012 Presidential Debate, Candidates Spar over Israel Policy

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President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney square off over the issue of U.S. policy towards Israel, at the third presidential debate, held at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla. Oct. 22, 2012. (Source: C-SPAN screencap)With two weeks left remaining before Election Day, President Barack Obama and Republican nominee Governor Mitt Romney met for their final debate, and the topic of Israel was clearly a hot one. “I will reaffirm our historic ties to Israel and our abiding commitment to its security – the world must never see any daylight between our two nations,” said the mild-mannered Romney, in contrast to the current president, whose responses some commentators thought to be glib, even un-presidential.

While both men openly expressed their support for Israel, to Jewish-friendly Boca Raton, Florida, the former Massachusetts Governor managed to get his shots in at the President’s record, chiding him for perceived holes in his failed foreign policy of the last four years. “I don’t see our influence growing around the world,” Romney said. “I see our influence receding in part because of the failure of the president to deal with the economic challenges at home, in part because of our commitment to our military with how I think it ought it to be, in part because of the turmoil with Israel,” he added.

Many Jewish Americans remain active in U.S. elections, and the security of Israel is of paramount importance to a large percentage of the Jewish community. Some Israelis, American Jews and some congressmen criticized Obama for taking a quasi-hostile attitude to Israel, particularly with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. During the debate, Romney said Obama projected weakness abroad, specifically in his outreach to the Muslim world. “The president began what I have called an Apology Tour, of going to various nations in the Middle East and criticizing America,” Romney 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 the other nations. You said that America had been dismissive and derisive. You said that on occasion America had dictated to other nations.” Obama dismissed the accusation, calling it “probably the biggest whopper that’s been told during the course of this campaign.”

Romney’s criticism of Obama harkens back to the last presidential cycle four years ago when then-candidate Obama ran during the Democratic Primaries. At the time, Obama sought to distinguish himself on foreign policy from his more hawkish rivals, such as Hillary Rodham Clinton. He presented himself as a more dovish choice, even saying that he would sit down for diplomatic meetings with the heads of state in Iran, North Korea, Cuba and Syria without preconditions. Many experts, and Clinton herself (and later Republican nominee John McCain) viewed this policy as naïve and reckless, and antithetical to U.S. interests. However, this ‘outreach’ was appealing to voters, and would help him win the nomination, and soon thereafter the presidency. But as former Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld said, “Obama is finding out that it’s a lot easier to campaign for President than it is to be President.” Obama has employed many of his predecessor’s counter-terrorism methods, including the use of drones in Yemen, Somalia and Pakistan and other countries where Al Qaeda terrorists may be hiding.

Oddly, Romney chose not to press Obama about the terror attack in Benghazi, Libya that killed four American personnel, including U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens. The administration received flak from both sides of the aisle for their shifting narratives about whether there was a coordinated terror attack, or “spontaneous” as they first claimed. Romney also said he would have also abandoned long-time Egyptian President—and U.S. ally—Hosni Mubarak, ousted during the so-called Arab Spring in February 2011.

Some commentators also noticed a “snarky” tone in Obama’s attitude during the debate. “It is unequivocal. Romney won,” wrote noted op-ed Washington Post columnist Charles Krauthammer. “We can argue about the small points and the debating points. Romney went large; Obama went very, very small, shockingly small. Romney made a strategic decision not go after the president on Libya, or Syria, or other areas where Obama could accuse him of being a Bush-like war monger… I thought Romney had the day. He looked presidential. The president did not. And that’s the impression I think that is going to be left.”

MSNBC analyst Joe Scarborough said, “last night I was struck, watching the Commander-in-Chief, that every single question, he had to attack his rival. I thought he wasn’t presidential. Most presidents want to show he is above the fray. He wanted to take his rival down a few notches.”

It was a largely docile debate, in heavy contrast to the previous two. Commentators said that Romney wanted to present himself as a viable alternative, agreeing with many of the president’s decisions – but not when it came to Israel. Obama meanwhile seemed to play “gotcha.” Asked about the effectiveness of his administration’s Iran nuclear sanctions, Obama took a swipe saying, “the fact is, while we were coordinating an international coalition to make sure these sanctions were effective, [Romney was] still invested in a Chinese state oil company that was doing business with the Iranian oil sector.” Snarky indeed.

The Jewish bloc remains a vital constituency in this election cycle. It is true that the Obama Administration has given assistance to Israel and both countries continue to share intelligence with one another. But that should be expected with allies, and true friends. One wonders whether Romney’s insistence that there need not be “daylight” between the two countries will resonate for voters, in an increasingly dangerous world, especially with Islamic countries on the march.

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