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| John McCain and Lindsey Graham attack Obama ahead of final debate | John McCain and Lindsey Graham attack Obama ahead of final debate |
| (6 months later) | |
| Republican heavyweights are spinning the presidential foreign policy debate hours before it gets under way in an effort to portray Barack Obama as weak by accusing him of permitting a resurgent al-Qaida to regain ground in the Middle East. | Republican heavyweights are spinning the presidential foreign policy debate hours before it gets under way in an effort to portray Barack Obama as weak by accusing him of permitting a resurgent al-Qaida to regain ground in the Middle East. |
| Senator John McCain, speaking at the debate venue in Boca Raton, Florida, said he gives Obama credit for the killing of the al-Qaida leader but otherwise he has a record of "failed leadership". | Senator John McCain, speaking at the debate venue in Boca Raton, Florida, said he gives Obama credit for the killing of the al-Qaida leader but otherwise he has a record of "failed leadership". |
| "I think all Americans given the president credit for the elimination of Osama bin Laden, and then he should take credit for the abject failure throughout the Middle East. Al-Qaida is on the return. Al-Qaida is resurgent throughout Iraq, Afghanistan, all of North Africa, Libya, Mali. They're returning because we're weak," said McCain. "He overruled his military advisers time after time in Afghanistan and we're failing there. In Iraq, everything is unravelling." | "I think all Americans given the president credit for the elimination of Osama bin Laden, and then he should take credit for the abject failure throughout the Middle East. Al-Qaida is on the return. Al-Qaida is resurgent throughout Iraq, Afghanistan, all of North Africa, Libya, Mali. They're returning because we're weak," said McCain. "He overruled his military advisers time after time in Afghanistan and we're failing there. In Iraq, everything is unravelling." |
| McCain sneered at Obama over his claim to have been "leading from behind" in some of his policies, such as last year's Nato attacks in support of Libya's revolution. | McCain sneered at Obama over his claim to have been "leading from behind" in some of his policies, such as last year's Nato attacks in support of Libya's revolution. |
| "I think he has projected a position of weakness and a position of a lack of leadership, as he calls it: leading from behind. How do you justify over 30,000 people being massacred in Syria, and I've heard him speak up on their behalf once? Once," he said. "What has this administration done? Absolutely nothing. And, just as many of us predicted, it's beginning to spill over into Lebanon, into Jordan, into the other countries in the region and we are on the verge of a serious crisis." | "I think he has projected a position of weakness and a position of a lack of leadership, as he calls it: leading from behind. How do you justify over 30,000 people being massacred in Syria, and I've heard him speak up on their behalf once? Once," he said. "What has this administration done? Absolutely nothing. And, just as many of us predicted, it's beginning to spill over into Lebanon, into Jordan, into the other countries in the region and we are on the verge of a serious crisis." |
| Senator Lindsey Graham struck a similar theme. He said that "on paper" a sitting president has an advantage in a foreign policy debate. But not Obama. | Senator Lindsey Graham struck a similar theme. He said that "on paper" a sitting president has an advantage in a foreign policy debate. But not Obama. |
| "There's a dangerous disconnect between the world as described by President Obama and as it actually exists. I want us to leave the mid-east but I want us to leave it safely and smartly. What we did in Iraq has been a nightmare. Iran is stronger, in terms of influence in Iraq, than ever. They've doubled the number of al-Qaida operatives in Iraq," he said. "The mid-east is coming apart. Leading from behind is not working. If I were governor Romney I'd go through each country and tell you here's the state of play on the ground that needs to change. | "There's a dangerous disconnect between the world as described by President Obama and as it actually exists. I want us to leave the mid-east but I want us to leave it safely and smartly. What we did in Iraq has been a nightmare. Iran is stronger, in terms of influence in Iraq, than ever. They've doubled the number of al-Qaida operatives in Iraq," he said. "The mid-east is coming apart. Leading from behind is not working. If I were governor Romney I'd go through each country and tell you here's the state of play on the ground that needs to change. |
| Graham said that if the debate goes well for Mitt Romney, it could seal his victory. | Graham said that if the debate goes well for Mitt Romney, it could seal his victory. |
| "The first debate was a game changer. Tonight's debate, if he does well, that could be the knockout blow. All trends are moving in the right direction. We just need more momentum for two more weeks," he said. | "The first debate was a game changer. Tonight's debate, if he does well, that could be the knockout blow. All trends are moving in the right direction. We just need more momentum for two more weeks," he said. |
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