David Frum's Blog, page 155

Al Romney, or Mitt Gore?

Saturday Night Live doesn't even need to write a script to mock last night's debate. The above video (from 2000) should do the trick just fine.

About Last Night

In the heat of the debate, I jumped the gun last night with this headline: "Obama Lied About Romney and GM." As I told a commenter via email, Obama blurred some details during the debate, but Romney was far from forthright enough to deserve a stout defense. I've spent the better part of this morning re-reading the arguments (Ezra Klein and Jonathan Cohn have excellent analyses of the topic.)

Video of the Foreign Policy Debate

In case you missed it last evening (or would just like to watch it again), here's the video of the foreign policy debate. Transcripts from CNN, Fox, and the New York Times.

The Stimulus and Health Care President Runs on ... Tires and Cars?

President Obama passed the largest anti-recession stimulus in American history, bigger than the spending programs of the New Deal relative to the economy.

Tonight’s a Reminder of Why So Few Americans Care About Foreign Policy

Tonight's debate reminded me of that Saturday Night Live sketch from the 2000 debate in which Darrell Hammond's Al Gore answered, "I agree" to everything said by Will Ferrell's George W. Bush. On Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Israel, Romney again and again repudiated any substantial policy difference between himself and the president. Obama in turn presented himself as Israel's very best friend - indeed, if a viewer played a drinking game at mention of "Israel,"...

Tonight's a Reminder of Why So Few Americans Care About Foreign Policy

Tonight's debate reminded me of that Saturday Night Live sketch from the 2000 debate in which Darrell Hammond's Al Gore answered, "I agree" to everything said by Will Ferrell's George W. Bush. On Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Israel, Romney again and again repudiated any substantial policy difference between himself and the president. Obama in turn presented himself as Israel's very best friend - indeed, if a viewer played a drinking game at mention of "Israel,"...

About the FP Debate, Frum-Shrum Style

Is live now, and should be on iTunes by tomorrow morning.

Obama Lied about Romney and GM

Mitt Romney in the New York Times.

Foreign Policy Debate Live-Blog

(10:31) Nevermind on the debate call. Obamney wins.

5 Questions You Won't Hear Tonight

Many thanks to the readers who sent in suggestions for better questions for tonight's foreign policy debate. Lots of mentions of drone strikes, the drug war, troubles in the Eurozone, and what can be done to help stabilize Mexico. I'd also like to highlight Ezra Klein's lament that most "foreign policy" questions are inextricable from domestic issues. I disagree with Klein's thesis -- we should indeed have a debate that attempts to focus on traditionally internat...