Aggressive Obama ‘trumps’ Romney

President Obama and Mitt Romney wrapped up a series of defining debates on Monday night with a bristling exchange over America's place in the world as each sought to portray the other as an unreliable commander in chief in a dangerous era.

Picking up where he left off in last week's debate, Obama went on offence from the start, lacerating his challenger for articulating a set of "wrong and reckless"policies that he called incoherent. While less aggressive, Romney pressed back, accusing the president of failing to assert American interests and values in the world to deal with a "rising tide of chaos."

"Governor, the problem is that on a whole range of issues, whether it's the Middle East, whether it's Afghanistan, whether it's Iraq, whether it's now Iran, you've been all over the map," Obama charged.

Romney countered saying, "I don't see our influence growing around the world. I see our influence receding, in part because of the failure of the President to deal with our economic challenges at home."

The debate here at Lynn University, moderated by Bob Schieffer of CBS News, was dedicated to foreign policy even though it veered occasionally into domestic issues.

Obama and Romney seemed to align on matters like withdrawal from Afghanistan, the perils of intervening in Syria and the use of drones to battle terrorists.

Obama came armed with a host of zingers. He accused his opponent, sitting at a table next to him, of "trying to airbrush history"and of seeking to "do the same things we do but say them louder."At times, Obama lectured and even mocked Romney on the details of certain policies, hoping to expose him as an uninformed pretender. Romney at times sat stiffly, his hands before him, back ramrod straight.

At one point, when Romney complained that the Navy "is smaller now than any time since 1917," Obama pounced and noted that the comparison works only if aircraft carriers are equated with gunboats. "We also have fewer horses and bayonets, because the nature of our military has changed,"Obama said.

... contd.

ALSO READ

Agent in America raises funds for Imran's party, sends over $7 lakh

Violence grips Bangladesh as Islamists demand stricter blasphemy law

David Cameron warned: 'Shed elitist image'

Prince William may give up his role as search and rescue pilot after becoming father