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Obama and Romney Discuss Foreign Policy During Final Debate

During the final presidential debate Monday night, President Barack Obama took on Republican candidate Mitt Romney regarding foreign policy. Obama said, “Every time you’ve offered an opinion you’ve been wrong.” Romney said, “Attacking me is not an agenda” when it comes to dealing with the world’s dangers.

Obama and Romney were able to come to an agreement on at least one issue; Israel. Both men said that if Israel were to be attacked they would stand by the country. “If Israel is attacked, we have their back,” said Romney. Obama said, “I will stand with Israel if Israel is attacked.”

Then, the two agreed that they are not in favor of United States military involvement in the attempts to oust Bashir Assad, the President of Syria. This debate was not as heated as the previous ones but the two even barked at each other regarding issues that they agree on right now.

When discussing issues in the Middle East, Romney said of Obama, “I congratulate him on taking out Osama bin Laden and taking on the leadership of al-Qaida. But we can’t kill our way out of this. … We must have a comprehensive strategy.”

Obama responded to that comment by mentioning the end of the war in Iraq, his plan to remove the United States from combat in Afghanistan, and his promise to find those who attacked the United States Consulate in Benghazi in September. Obama then took a shot at Romney’s comments about Russia being the number one geopolitical foe of the United States.

“Governor, when it comes to our foreign policy you seem to want the policies of the 1980s, just like you want to import the social policies of the 1950s and the economic policies in the 1920s,” Obama said.

In over two dozen states, four million ballots have been cast in the election. It seems as though Obama will pick up electoral votes tallying 237 out of the 270 needed for victory in some states and the District of Columbia. In the case of Romney, he seems to be in line to pick up 191 electoral votes in states, not the District of Columbia. The final 110 electoral votes come from the battleground states. Those states and their votes are: Florida (29), North Carolina (15), Virginia (13), New Hampshire (4), Iowa (6), Colorado (9), Nevada (6), Ohio (18) and Wisconsin (10).

Even the Vice President and his challenger have gotten into the foreign policy debate. Joe Biden said, “We will leave Afghanistan in 2014, period. They say it depends. Ladies and gentlemen, like everything with them, it depends. It depends on what day you find these guys.”

Paul Ryan, the running mate of Romney, said, “We are in the midst of deciding the kind of country we’re going to be, the kind of people we’re going to be, for a generation.”

Jim Vassallo: Jim is a freelance writer based out of the suburbs of Philadelphia in New Jersey. Jim earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications and minor in Journalism from Rowan University in 2008. While in school he was the Assistant Sports Director at WGLS for two years and the Sports Director for one year. He also covered the football, baseball, softball and both basketball teams for the school newspaper 'The Whit.' Jim lives in New Jersey with his wife Nicole, son Tony and dog Phoebe.

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