For months, the one reliable constant for President Barack Obama was the public’s approval of his handling of foreign policy and terrorism. Al-Qaida was on the run, he would say. The war in Iraq was over. Bin Laden was dead. Crowds cheered and national polls showed a majority in the country stood with him. But with just 15 days left before Election Day, the landscape has changed; and as Obama and Republican rival Mitt Romney take their seats at their third, final and foreign policy–focused debate tonight in Boca Raton, Fla., the president will be facing headwinds from abroad instead of the breezes that once had been at his back. Libya. Uncertainty in a post–Arab Spring world. Iran’s nuclear intentions. U.S. casualties at the hands of Afghan security forces. Europe’s continued struggles with its economic and financial crisis. A conflagration in Syria. Amid these mounting challenges, Obama will hear Romney charge him with exhibiting timid leadership. At the same time, Romney, far less experienced on the international political scene, is seeking to close the deal with voters. He’ll use tonight’s debate to portray himself not only as an economic savior but as a plausible and stronger commander in chief. The Associated Press has the complete debate preview here.
Today’s poll question: Why will you watch tonight’s third and final presidential debate of 2012?
