Debate report card: Grading Obama, Romney on foreign policy

Before Monday’s final presidential debate, we outlined five things that President Barack Obama and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney needed to accomplish at the Lynn University event. Here’s a report card grading their efforts:

OBAMA

1. Accentuate the positive

Obama controlled the agenda of the debate from start to finish. He talked about moving “heaven and earth” to kill Osama bin Laden, standing arm in arm with Israel, backing tough sanctions on Iran, acting against unfair trade practices by China and ending the war in Iraq. Romney didn’t dent the Obama tank as it rolled forward.

Grade: A

2. Portray Romney as a foreign-policy flip-flopper

Obama repeated talked about how Romney had changed positions on foreign policy issues, from Libya (where he supported U.S. military intervention but then cautioned against “mission creep” before the death of the dictator) to Iraq. When Romney protested, Obama shot back, “You keep trying to airbrush history.”

Grade: A

3. Have a plausible explanation for administration’s changing explanations of Benghazi consulate attack

He never had to defend his administration’s inconstant statements on the assassination of U.S. Ambassador Christopher Hill because Romney never pressed him on it. But he noted that the Libyan people are grateful to the U.S. for its assistance in creating a democracy in the longtime dictatorship.

Grade: B

4. Win the argument on Iran

Romney agreed that the sanctions backed by Obama were working. The president can’t do much better than that — even if the Republican nominee says the incumbent is a bit too anxious to talk to the Iranian regime.

Grade: A

5. Avoid a catastrophic blunder

No big mistake. And a funny line about battleships.

Grade: B

ROMNEY

1. Look like a plausible commander-in-chief

Romney didn’t look scary. He spent so much time seeming moderate (and unscary) that he didn’t land too many rhetorical punches.

Grade: B

2. Come up with an effective attack on the administration’s Libya mistakes — finally

Romney has not been able to capitalize politically on the terror attack on the U.S. consulate in Libya from the day of the attack. He hardly tried during the Boca Raton debate. He’s leaving the attacks to congressional Republicans and conservative pundits.

Grade: D

3. Open up a gap between the president and Israel

The Republican nominee repeat several times that he would “have Israel’s back” while the president failed to visit Israel during his “apology tour” of Muslim natons. But Obama pre-emptively embraced Israel, noting that he had implemented “the strongest military and intelligence cooperation with Israel in our history.” Romney did not say what action he would take that Obama has not.

Grade: C

4. Explain how China and Russia are threats to America

Romney successfully answered the Russia question, noting that the former superpower is a political adversary but not a military threat. And he zinged Obama for noting that the relationship could be “re-set” if he wins another term. But on China, there was little difference between the two candidates. And Obama sounded even tougher than Romney.

Grade: C

5. Bring everything back to the economy

Several times, Romney pivoted from a foreign policy question to a riff on the economy. Often, the question and the answer were unconnected, but Romney did repeatedly play to his strength — as an economic steward.

Grade: B