The final presidential debate: Does Mitt Romney agree with Obama on foreign policy?

Many pundits were quick to point out Monday that many of Mitt Romney's foreign-policy positions were awfully similar to President Obama's.

(Image credit: REUTERS/Joe Skipper)

last updated 8 January 2015

In the final presidential debate Monday night in Boca Raton, Florida, Mitt Romney more than once agreed with President Obama on issues of foreign policy and national security. The GOP nominee seemed to endorse the president's policy positions on aiding rebels in Syria, maintaining a strong relationship with Israel, and tightening sanctions on Iran, among other things. Indeed, the debate, which was supposed to focus exclusively on foreign policy, veered for long minutes into a rehashing of the two candidates' disagreements over domestic policy, perhaps because voters are more concerned about the lackluster economy. Romney's notably soft tack on foreign policy stood in stark contrast to the aggressive posture he took in the first two debates, as well as his comments on the campaign trail. And it drew surprise from conservatives and liberals alike on Twitter: