The final presidential debate: Did Mitt Romney blow it by taking it easy on Obama?

The GOP candidate suddenly agrees with the president on Iran, Syria, and the Arab Spring

Many conservatives were disappointed in Mitt Romney's debate performance on Monday.
(Image credit: REUTERS/Rick Wilking)

At the final presidential debate on Monday night in Boca Raton, Florida, Mitt Romney took a conciliatory stance on foreign policy, only mildly disagreeing with President Obama on a range of issues, including the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, America's role in the Arab Spring, the West's aid for Syrian rebels, and the U.S.'s approach to Iran's suspected nuclear weapons program. The aftermath of previous debates have been dominated by arguments over who was the winner. But for much of the debate on Monday, it appeared that Romney didn't feel the need to rack up points against Obama the way he did in the first two face-offs. Commentators said Romney was purposely taking modest, middle-of-the-road positions in order to appear more presidential. Here, some reactions from Twitter:

See more

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us