Presidential+Debate

Steven,

Putting my thoughts and back-up material on a wiki page is the simplest way for me to send it to you.

Please call (626-335-4787) or email if you have any thoughts. Otherwise, I will see you Monday evening.

Take care.

Dave

Foreign Policy debate Monday, October 22

Location: Lynn University Boca Raton, Florida [maybe Cuba will come up as a debate topic]

Analysis: Cuba's immigration reform casts spotlight on decades-old U.S. law http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/18/us-cuba-immigration-idUSBRE89H1MK20121018

Moderator: Bob Schieffer CBS News Chief Washington correspondent and host of "Face the Nation" His famous purple socks

Format: The specific topics will be announced several weeks beforehand [I don't have them], and the debate will be divided into six 15-minute segments focusing on each. The moderator will ask a question, and each candidate will have 2 minutes to respond.

All will be seated at a table.

Romney the attacker can tar with a broad brush. Incumbent President Obama has to appreciate nuances. President often has confidential information (though this claim can be a subterfuge).

Some possible/likely debate issues:

American exceptionalism Apologize?

U.S. responsibility as a superpower

Size of military Use of military abroad

Foreign aid budget

Russia China Eurozone North Korea Iran Israel Syria

Arab Spring in general Egypt Libya

Afghanistan (post 2014) Pakistan (nuclear-armed)

Mexico and drug cartels Cuba Venezuela (Hugo Chavez)

Here are some specific articles pertaining to this debate that I find useful:

A preemptive strike on the foreign policy failures of the next administration http://wapo.st/ReCU3u

How to Beat Obama on Foreign Policy http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-18/how-to-beat-obama-on-foreign-policy.html

Vice-presidential debate reveals two camps’ slim divide on foreign policy http://wapo.st/TAjhBp

Analysis: Romney spares details as he hits Obama on foreign policy http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/09/us-usa-campaign-romney-foreign-oct-idUSBRE8981FU20121009

Romney hits Obama on China policies http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/13/us-usa-campaign-china-idUSBRE89C0HQ20121013

Here are some past articles that I have found helpful:

[|Debate decoder: the first 2012 presidential face-off deconstructed | World news | guardian.co.uk]

[|Moderate Mitt Returns! - David Brooks]

[|Communication, Leadership, and the Presidential Debate - ThomRainer.com]

[|+American Exceptionalism - GOP]

[|Raymond Haberski, Jr.: Mitt Romney and a Theology of American Exceptionalism]

[|D. Robert Worley: American Exceptionalism and Other Isms]

[|American Exceptionalism, Foreign Policy, and the Washington Rules | The American Conservative]

[|US foreign aid: why there's little to choose between Obama and Romney | Sarah Jane Staats | Global development | guardian.co.uk]

[|Making Sense Of U.S. Foreign Aid To Egypt And Elsewhere - Forbes]

[|Mitt Romney's foreign policy speech - full text | World news | guardian.co.uk]

[|Mitt Romney's delusional foreign policy | Michael Cohen | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk]

[|++Is Romney's foreign policy a radical departure from Obama's? | World news | guardian.co.uk]

[|U.S. foreign aid under fire after attack on embassy in Egypt, outpost in Libya - The Washington Post]

[|Romney calls for overhauling U.S. foreign aid - latimes.com]

[|+US election: Mitt Romney attacks Barack Obama's handling of Benghazi attack - Telegraph]

[|+Romney Remains Vague on Foreign Policy Details - NYTimes.com]

[|Mitt Romney’s Missing Foreign Policy - NYTimes.com]

[|Can Romney put foreign policy in play? | The Great Debate]

[|The global crises we'll resolve after Nov. 6 | FP Passport]

[|+Foreign policy: A world of troubles | The Economist]

[|US Foreign Policy - 2012 Elections Issue]

[|BBC News - US Election]

[|Foreign Policy issues for the 2012 Presidential Election - The Hill's Congress Blog]

[|Campaign 2012 - Council on Foreign Relations]

[|The Water's Edge » How Different Would a Romney Foreign Policy Be?]

[|Foreign Policy, Boring But Important - NYTimes.com]

[|Foreign Policy | The White House]