Forget “horses and bayonets.” The most important word uttered during the third presidential debate was “peace.”
Mitt Romney, the un-bellicose, used it several times to set the tone for what his foreign policy would be. Anyone who was expecting saber-rattling and bring-it-on rhetoric was disappointed. This may include some Republicans who had hoped to witness another round on the attack in Benghazi and the Obama administration’s mixed messages in the aftermath, but Romney chose not to go there. It would have been a distraction and created friction that ultimately would have undermined the sense Romney was trying to convey — that he picks his battles carefully.
The real point of Romney’s rendition of commander in chief was to reveal himself as the stalwart of America’s power to promote peace and freedom through strength, character and an unyielding defense of American principles. Romney reiterated his belief that the United States has a vital role in leading the world, in providing succor to nations trying to gain a toehold in democracy, in helping those who would overthrow oppressive governments.
He got his best shot at Barack Obama when he quoted the president’s comments during what Romney characterized as an “apology” tour in 2009, in which Obama conceded that the United States has at times “dictated” to other nations and been “dismissive” and “derisive.”