[USA Today] Fact check: Claims about Syria, Libya, Iraq scrutinized
1:55AM EDT October 23. 2012 - During the third and final presidential debate Monday night, President Obama and Mitt Romney disputed an array of statements on foreign policy. Here are a few worth a deeper look:
Defense spending
Claim: Obama said Romney wants to add $2 trillion in spending the military hasn't asked for and that defense spending has increased every year he has been president.
The facts: Obama's claim about Romney's increase is accurate; his statement that budgets have increased is not.
Romney calls for spending a minimum of 4% of the nation's gross domestic product on defense. Over 10 years, that would amount to about $2 trillion more for the Pentagon than Obama has budgeted over the same period.
The 2013 Pentagon base budget — excluding costs for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq — as proposed by Obama declines by $5 billion compared with 2012, according to the Pentagon's comptroller.
MORE: Obama, Romney meet in final debate
ANALYSIS: Will final debate break voters' stalemate?
Syria
Claim: Obama said that Romney said he would provide heavy arms to Syrian rebels.
The facts: Romney did say he would provide heavy weaponry to rebels in Syria. In an Oct. 8 speech in Lexington, Va., Romney said he "will work with our partners to identify and organize those members of the opposition who share our values and ensure they obtain the arms they need to defeat (President Bashar) Assad's tanks, helicopters and fighter jets."
The 'apology tour'
Claim: Romney said Obama went on "an apology tour of going to various nations in the Middle East and criticizing America."
The facts: The use of the term "apology tour" to describe Obama's April 2009 foreign visits appears to have started with Fox News host Sean Hannity.
In his book, Romney cited a number of speeches in which he said Obama apologized: "The United States certainly shares blame" for the global banking meltdown, Obama told the French. The George W. Bush administration had "lowered our standing in the world," he told the English. And to the Turkish parliament, he said: "The United States is still working through some of our own darker periods in our history," which included slavery, segregation and treatment of American Indians.
Even so, none of his foreign speeches included what many people would consider an essential element of an apology: the words "we're sorry." That's why Obama is correct that professional fact-checkers have rated the statement as untrue.
Mali
Claim: Romney, citing a litany of Middle East hotspots, said northern Mali "has been taken over by al-Qaeda-type individuals."
The facts: Mali, an African nation of 14 million people in the western Sahara desert, has been embroiled in conflict this year as insurgent groups have fought for independence. The Economic Community of West African States has identified at least three of the groups as having links with al-Qaeda. Intelligence officials say the groups may also have connections to insurgent groups in Algeria and Libya.
The Obama administration's response has been low-key, but on Monday, a French defense official told the Associated Press that it was discussing drone strikes with the United States. German Chancellor Angela Merkel also sounded the alarm Monday, telling a German military conference near Berlin that "Free democratic states cannot accept international terrorism gaining a safe refuge in the north of the country."
Libya
Claim: Obama said Romney suggested that getting rid of Moammar Gadhafi in Libya was "mission creep."
The facts: "What we are watching in real time is another example of mission creep and mission muddle," Romney wrote in the National Review on April 21, in the midst of the Libya operation. In that piece, Romney said he supported the "specific, limited mission" of a no-fly zone to protect Libyan civilians from the Gadhafi regime, but he said Obama owed Americans a better explanation of why he had changed his position to call for the Libyan dictator's ouster.
After Gadhafi was killed by rebel forces, Romney said, "The world is a better place with Gadhafi gone."
Iraq
Claim: Obama said Romney wanted to leave troops in Iraq after Dec. 31, 2011, a claim Romney denied.
The facts: When the U.S. government was trying to secure a status of forces agreement last year with the Iraqi government that would have allowed some U.S. troops to remain in the country, Romney said more U.S. troops should remain than Obama was proposing.
Romney repeated that sentiment in a video leaked to Mother Jones from a May fundraiser. Romney said: "This president's failure to put in place a status of forces agreement allowing ten to 20,000 troops to stay in Iraq: unthinkable." But there is no record that Romney made the claim as recently as "a few weeks ago."
Global Influence
Claim: Romney said nowhere in the world is the United States' role greater than it was four years ago.
The facts: Global attitudes about the United States have declined slightly over the past four years, according to the Pew Research Center. In 2008, 84% to 14% positive-negative view of the United States and 14% unfavorable. In 2012, that favorability figure had fallen to 80%-14%.
Veterans
Claim: Obama said the unemployment rate for veterans is below the national jobless rate.
The facts: The unemployment rate for veterans in September was 6.7%, just above the three-year low of 6.6% reached the previous month, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Department of Veterans Affairs. That's below the 7.8% national jobless rate. However, unemployment for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan era was 9.7% last month.
Iran
Claim: Obama said Romney now favors bilateral talks with Iran, a reversal of his previous stance.
The facts: The Associated Press reported that Romney refused to answer when asked Sunday whether he supported one-on-one talks.
Russia
Claim: Obama said Romney has called Russia the largest geopolitical threat to the United States.
The facts: It is true that Romney said in a March 26 interview with CNN that Russia "is without question our No. 1 geopolitical foe." He added: "They fight for every cause for the world's worse actors. The idea that he (Obama) has more flexibility in mind for Russia is very, very troubling indeed." In a subsequent interview, Romney sought to clarify his remarks, saying, "That doesn't make them an enemy. It doesn't make them a combatant. They don't represent the No. 1 national security threat."
Class size
Claim: Obama said Romney said that reduced class sizes at schools did not make a difference.
The facts: During a May visit to a Philadelphia charter school, Romney discussed his approach to education when he was governor of Massachusetts. He said people told him that smaller class sizes were needed, and Romney said he analyzed every school district and their students' performance.
"I said let's compare the average classroom size from each school district with the performance of our students, because we test our kids, and we'll see if there's a relationship. And there was not."
He later cited a study by a consulting firm that studied classroom size around the world and came to a similar conclusion. "So it's not the classroom size that's driving the success of those school systems."
Oil imports
Claim: Obama said the United States has cut its oil imports to the lowest levels in 20 years.
The facts: That's close. The Department of Energy said this year that U.S. dependence on imported oil fell to 45% last year, the first time it dropped below 50% since 1997. The White House, citing DOE figures, says on its website that net imports — that's imports minus exports — as a share of total consumption fell to 45% last year and that was the lowest level in 16 years. Meanwhile, U.S. oil production has risen sharply. September's domestic production was the highest of any September since 1998, the American Petroleum Institute reported last week. Overall, petroleum imports fell to 10.5 million barrels a day in September, down 602,000 barrels a day from a year earlier.
Cooperation with Israel
Claim: Obama said, "We have created the strongest military and intelligence cooperation between our two countries in history."
The facts: By its nature, intelligence cooperation is difficult to verify. But military cooperation is a bit more visible. On Sunday, the United States and Israel launched a joint training operation called "Austere Challenge 12." Assistant U.S. Secretary of State Andrew Shapiro called the exercise the "largest and most significant joint exercise in the allies' history."
Nevertheless, the event also happens at a low point in the political relationship between Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Obama declined to meet with Netanyahu last month when Israeli leader visited the U.S. And asked by Steve Kroft of 60 Minutes whether he felt pressure on Iran from Israel, Obama said he would "block out any noise" from the Israelis.
Middle East peace talks
Claim: Romney said the United States has not exerted leadership in the Middle East and said Israel and the Palestinians haven't met in two years
The facts: The last direct talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders happened in September 2010 — and then quickly broke down when the Israeli moratorium on settlements in the West Bank expired.
Obama himself has admitted that peace in the Middle East has eluded him, as it has every president since Jimmy Carter. "I have not been able to move the peace process forward in the Middle East the way I wanted. It's something we focused on very early. But the truth of the matter is that the parties, they've got to want it as well," he told Washington, D.C., television station WJLA in July.
Romney is more pessimistic. In a secretly taped fundraiser more famous for his "47%" remark, he said: "The pathway to peace is almost unthinkable to accomplish," that "it's going to remain an unsolved problem" and that a permanent agreement is "just wishful thinking." He also angered many Palestinians in July when he said at a Jerusalem fundraiser that cultural differences accounted for the stark disparities in wealth between Israel and Palestine.
Romney has softened that stance more recently. In a foreign policy speech in Virginia this month, Romney said he would "will recommit America to the goal of a democratic, prosperous Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security with the Jewish state of Israel." By that score, Romney's Palestinian policy is the same as Obama's. They both espouse a "two-state" solution that first became U.S. policy under President George W. Bush.
Carter, with a delegation of elder statesmen visiting Israel Monday, said prospects of a lasting Israeli-Palestinian accord are "vanishing."
U.S.- Israel Relations
Claim: Romney said Obama was trying to create "daylight" between the United States and Israel.
The facts: The reported "daylight" policy first surfaced in a Washington Post story recounting a 2009 meeting Obama had with Jewish leaders, in which one leader told Obama, "If you want Israel to take risks, then its leaders must know that the United States is right next to them."
Obama disagreed, saying, "Look at the past eight years. … During those eight years, there was no space between us and Israel, and what did we get from that? When there is no daylight, Israel just sits on the sidelines, and that erodes our credibility with the Arab states."
By that, the president seemed to be saying that the United States can be more effective acting as an honest broker between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
The White House hasn't disputed the Washington Post account, but press secretary Jay Carney has made it clear that the policy, if there is one, does not extend to Iran. "There is no daylight between the United States and Israel when it comes to the absolute need to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons," Carney said.
China
Claim: Obama said his administration has brought more trade cases against China in four years than the Bush administration did in eight years.
The facts: The Obama administration has brought eight trade cases against China with the World Trade Organization, according to PolitiFact.com and the Alliance for American Manufacturing. Bush filed seven cases over two terms. However, China joined the WTO in 2001, after President George W. Bush took office, and member countries effectively gave China a grace period. The United States was the first nation to file a trade case against China in 2004. Thus, Obama could take advantage of some of the groundwork laid by Bush's administration.
Exports to China
Claim: Obama said U.S. exports to China have doubled since the start of the Obama administration.
The facts: The United States has more than doubled its exports to China during Obama's presidency, but that has coincided with rising imports from China as well. When Obama was inaugurated in January 2009, the United States exported $4.2 billion worth of goods to China. By August 2012, that had risen to $8.6 billion, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Imports from China over that time period have risen from $24.7 billion to $37.3 billion. So the American trade balance with China has gone from $20.6 billion in favor of China in January 2009 to $28.7 billion in August 2012.
Education
Claim: Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan, want to cut the education budget, according to Obama.
The facts: Though Ryan's budget has called for $5.3 trillion cuts in federal spending over the next decade, he has not singled out education programs for reduction or elimination, according to Politifact. An analysis by the National Education Association determined that the large cuts proposed by Ryan, and generally embraced by Romney, could cut 2 million spots in the Head Start early childhood education program.
Romney insists that he is not going to cut education programs. "I'm not going to cut education funding. I don't have any plan to cut education funding and grants that go to people going to college. I'm planning on continuing to grow, so I'm not planning on making changes there," Romney said in his Oct. 3 debate with Obama.
Defense budget
Claim: Romney said Defense Secretary Leon Panetta called Pentagon budget cuts totaling $1 trillion over 10 years devastating.
The facts: Panetta and the Joint Chiefs of Staff have agreed to $487 billion in budget cuts. However, about $500 billion in additional cuts to defense spending will automatically begin in January — a process termed "sequestration" — if Congress and Obama do not reach a comprehensive deal to reduce deficits. Panetta was referring to those $500 billion in cuts as devastating. Moreover, Romney's running mate, Ryan, chairman of the House Budget Committee, voted for that Budget Control Act that included the automatic cuts.
1:55AM EDT October 23. 2012 - During the third and final presidential debate Monday night, President Obama and Mitt Romney disputed an array of statements on foreign policy. Here are a few worth a deeper look:
Defense spending
Claim: Obama said Romney wants to add $2 trillion in spending the military hasn't asked for and that defense spending has increased every year he has been president.
The facts: Obama's claim about Romney's increase is accurate; his statement that budgets have increased is not.
Romney calls for spending a minimum of 4% of the nation's gross domestic product on defense. Over 10 years, that would amount to about $2 trillion more for the Pentagon than Obama has budgeted over the same period.
The 2013 Pentagon base budget — excluding costs for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq — as proposed by Obama declines by $5 billion compared with 2012, according to the Pentagon's comptroller.
MORE: Obama, Romney meet in final debate
ANALYSIS: Will final debate break voters' stalemate?
Syria
Claim: Obama said that Romney said he would provide heavy arms to Syrian rebels.
The facts: Romney did say he would provide heavy weaponry to rebels in Syria. In an Oct. 8 speech in Lexington, Va., Romney said he "will work with our partners to identify and organize those members of the opposition who share our values and ensure they obtain the arms they need to defeat (President Bashar) Assad's tanks, helicopters and fighter jets."
The 'apology tour'
Claim: Romney said Obama went on "an apology tour of going to various nations in the Middle East and criticizing America."
The facts: The use of the term "apology tour" to describe Obama's April 2009 foreign visits appears to have started with Fox News host Sean Hannity.
In his book, Romney cited a number of speeches in which he said Obama apologized: "The United States certainly shares blame" for the global banking meltdown, Obama told the French. The George W. Bush administration had "lowered our standing in the world," he told the English. And to the Turkish parliament, he said: "The United States is still working through some of our own darker periods in our history," which included slavery, segregation and treatment of American Indians.
Even so, none of his foreign speeches included what many people would consider an essential element of an apology: the words "we're sorry." That's why Obama is correct that professional fact-checkers have rated the statement as untrue.
Mali
Claim: Romney, citing a litany of Middle East hotspots, said northern Mali "has been taken over by al-Qaeda-type individuals."
The facts: Mali, an African nation of 14 million people in the western Sahara desert, has been embroiled in conflict this year as insurgent groups have fought for independence. The Economic Community of West African States has identified at least three of the groups as having links with al-Qaeda. Intelligence officials say the groups may also have connections to insurgent groups in Algeria and Libya.
The Obama administration's response has been low-key, but on Monday, a French defense official told the Associated Press that it was discussing drone strikes with the United States. German Chancellor Angela Merkel also sounded the alarm Monday, telling a German military conference near Berlin that "Free democratic states cannot accept international terrorism gaining a safe refuge in the north of the country."
Libya
Claim: Obama said Romney suggested that getting rid of Moammar Gadhafi in Libya was "mission creep."
The facts: "What we are watching in real time is another example of mission creep and mission muddle," Romney wrote in the National Review on April 21, in the midst of the Libya operation. In that piece, Romney said he supported the "specific, limited mission" of a no-fly zone to protect Libyan civilians from the Gadhafi regime, but he said Obama owed Americans a better explanation of why he had changed his position to call for the Libyan dictator's ouster.
After Gadhafi was killed by rebel forces, Romney said, "The world is a better place with Gadhafi gone."
Iraq
Claim: Obama said Romney wanted to leave troops in Iraq after Dec. 31, 2011, a claim Romney denied.
The facts: When the U.S. government was trying to secure a status of forces agreement last year with the Iraqi government that would have allowed some U.S. troops to remain in the country, Romney said more U.S. troops should remain than Obama was proposing.
Romney repeated that sentiment in a video leaked to Mother Jones from a May fundraiser. Romney said: "This president's failure to put in place a status of forces agreement allowing ten to 20,000 troops to stay in Iraq: unthinkable." But there is no record that Romney made the claim as recently as "a few weeks ago."
Global Influence
Claim: Romney said nowhere in the world is the United States' role greater than it was four years ago.
The facts: Global attitudes about the United States have declined slightly over the past four years, according to the Pew Research Center. In 2008, 84% to 14% positive-negative view of the United States and 14% unfavorable. In 2012, that favorability figure had fallen to 80%-14%.
Veterans
Claim: Obama said the unemployment rate for veterans is below the national jobless rate.
The facts: The unemployment rate for veterans in September was 6.7%, just above the three-year low of 6.6% reached the previous month, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Department of Veterans Affairs. That's below the 7.8% national jobless rate. However, unemployment for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan era was 9.7% last month.
Iran
Claim: Obama said Romney now favors bilateral talks with Iran, a reversal of his previous stance.
The facts: The Associated Press reported that Romney refused to answer when asked Sunday whether he supported one-on-one talks.
Russia
Claim: Obama said Romney has called Russia the largest geopolitical threat to the United States.
The facts: It is true that Romney said in a March 26 interview with CNN that Russia "is without question our No. 1 geopolitical foe." He added: "They fight for every cause for the world's worse actors. The idea that he (Obama) has more flexibility in mind for Russia is very, very troubling indeed." In a subsequent interview, Romney sought to clarify his remarks, saying, "That doesn't make them an enemy. It doesn't make them a combatant. They don't represent the No. 1 national security threat."
Class size
Claim: Obama said Romney said that reduced class sizes at schools did not make a difference.
The facts: During a May visit to a Philadelphia charter school, Romney discussed his approach to education when he was governor of Massachusetts. He said people told him that smaller class sizes were needed, and Romney said he analyzed every school district and their students' performance.
"I said let's compare the average classroom size from each school district with the performance of our students, because we test our kids, and we'll see if there's a relationship. And there was not."
He later cited a study by a consulting firm that studied classroom size around the world and came to a similar conclusion. "So it's not the classroom size that's driving the success of those school systems."
Oil imports
Claim: Obama said the United States has cut its oil imports to the lowest levels in 20 years.
The facts: That's close. The Department of Energy said this year that U.S. dependence on imported oil fell to 45% last year, the first time it dropped below 50% since 1997. The White House, citing DOE figures, says on its website that net imports — that's imports minus exports — as a share of total consumption fell to 45% last year and that was the lowest level in 16 years. Meanwhile, U.S. oil production has risen sharply. September's domestic production was the highest of any September since 1998, the American Petroleum Institute reported last week. Overall, petroleum imports fell to 10.5 million barrels a day in September, down 602,000 barrels a day from a year earlier.
Cooperation with Israel
Claim: Obama said, "We have created the strongest military and intelligence cooperation between our two countries in history."
The facts: By its nature, intelligence cooperation is difficult to verify. But military cooperation is a bit more visible. On Sunday, the United States and Israel launched a joint training operation called "Austere Challenge 12." Assistant U.S. Secretary of State Andrew Shapiro called the exercise the "largest and most significant joint exercise in the allies' history."
Nevertheless, the event also happens at a low point in the political relationship between Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Obama declined to meet with Netanyahu last month when Israeli leader visited the U.S. And asked by Steve Kroft of 60 Minutes whether he felt pressure on Iran from Israel, Obama said he would "block out any noise" from the Israelis.
Middle East peace talks
Claim: Romney said the United States has not exerted leadership in the Middle East and said Israel and the Palestinians haven't met in two years
The facts: The last direct talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders happened in September 2010 — and then quickly broke down when the Israeli moratorium on settlements in the West Bank expired.
Obama himself has admitted that peace in the Middle East has eluded him, as it has every president since Jimmy Carter. "I have not been able to move the peace process forward in the Middle East the way I wanted. It's something we focused on very early. But the truth of the matter is that the parties, they've got to want it as well," he told Washington, D.C., television station WJLA in July.
Romney is more pessimistic. In a secretly taped fundraiser more famous for his "47%" remark, he said: "The pathway to peace is almost unthinkable to accomplish," that "it's going to remain an unsolved problem" and that a permanent agreement is "just wishful thinking." He also angered many Palestinians in July when he said at a Jerusalem fundraiser that cultural differences accounted for the stark disparities in wealth between Israel and Palestine.
Romney has softened that stance more recently. In a foreign policy speech in Virginia this month, Romney said he would "will recommit America to the goal of a democratic, prosperous Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security with the Jewish state of Israel." By that score, Romney's Palestinian policy is the same as Obama's. They both espouse a "two-state" solution that first became U.S. policy under President George W. Bush.
Carter, with a delegation of elder statesmen visiting Israel Monday, said prospects of a lasting Israeli-Palestinian accord are "vanishing."
U.S.- Israel Relations
Claim: Romney said Obama was trying to create "daylight" between the United States and Israel.
The facts: The reported "daylight" policy first surfaced in a Washington Post story recounting a 2009 meeting Obama had with Jewish leaders, in which one leader told Obama, "If you want Israel to take risks, then its leaders must know that the United States is right next to them."
Obama disagreed, saying, "Look at the past eight years. … During those eight years, there was no space between us and Israel, and what did we get from that? When there is no daylight, Israel just sits on the sidelines, and that erodes our credibility with the Arab states."
By that, the president seemed to be saying that the United States can be more effective acting as an honest broker between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
The White House hasn't disputed the Washington Post account, but press secretary Jay Carney has made it clear that the policy, if there is one, does not extend to Iran. "There is no daylight between the United States and Israel when it comes to the absolute need to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons," Carney said.
China
Claim: Obama said his administration has brought more trade cases against China in four years than the Bush administration did in eight years.
The facts: The Obama administration has brought eight trade cases against China with the World Trade Organization, according to PolitiFact.com and the Alliance for American Manufacturing. Bush filed seven cases over two terms. However, China joined the WTO in 2001, after President George W. Bush took office, and member countries effectively gave China a grace period. The United States was the first nation to file a trade case against China in 2004. Thus, Obama could take advantage of some of the groundwork laid by Bush's administration.
Exports to China
Claim: Obama said U.S. exports to China have doubled since the start of the Obama administration.
The facts: The United States has more than doubled its exports to China during Obama's presidency, but that has coincided with rising imports from China as well. When Obama was inaugurated in January 2009, the United States exported $4.2 billion worth of goods to China. By August 2012, that had risen to $8.6 billion, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Imports from China over that time period have risen from $24.7 billion to $37.3 billion. So the American trade balance with China has gone from $20.6 billion in favor of China in January 2009 to $28.7 billion in August 2012.
Education
Claim: Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan, want to cut the education budget, according to Obama.
The facts: Though Ryan's budget has called for $5.3 trillion cuts in federal spending over the next decade, he has not singled out education programs for reduction or elimination, according to Politifact. An analysis by the National Education Association determined that the large cuts proposed by Ryan, and generally embraced by Romney, could cut 2 million spots in the Head Start early childhood education program.
Romney insists that he is not going to cut education programs. "I'm not going to cut education funding. I don't have any plan to cut education funding and grants that go to people going to college. I'm planning on continuing to grow, so I'm not planning on making changes there," Romney said in his Oct. 3 debate with Obama.
Defense budget
Claim: Romney said Defense Secretary Leon Panetta called Pentagon budget cuts totaling $1 trillion over 10 years devastating.
The facts: Panetta and the Joint Chiefs of Staff have agreed to $487 billion in budget cuts. However, about $500 billion in additional cuts to defense spending will automatically begin in January — a process termed "sequestration" — if Congress and Obama do not reach a comprehensive deal to reduce deficits. Panetta was referring to those $500 billion in cuts as devastating. Moreover, Romney's running mate, Ryan, chairman of the House Budget Committee, voted for that Budget Control Act that included the automatic cuts.
이것이 어려우시다면.....
[경향신문] 세 차례 토론, 오바마 2승1패…지지율은 박빙
미국의 버락 오바마 대통령과 미트 롬니 공화당 대선 후보가 22일(현지시간) 치러진 외교·안보정책 분야 토론을 마지막으로 세 차례의 TV토론을 모두 마쳤지만 종합적으로 누가 승자인지 가늠하기는 쉽지 않아 보인다.
미국 언론과 전문가들은 1차 토론은 롬니가, 2·3차 토론은 오바마가 앞선 것으로 분석하고 있다. 오바마는 1차전을 패한 뒤 심기일전해 나머지 토론에서 선전하며 종합 전적에서 2승1패로 우위를 보였다. 그러나 실제 효과 면에서는 롬니가 얻은 게 더 많다는 견해가 만만치 않다. 오바마가 두 차례의 승리에도 불구하고 1차전에서 워낙 강한 펀치를 맞아 아직 충격에서 완전히 벗어나지 못하고 있다는 것이다.
오바마는 지난 2일 첫 번째 토론에서 롬니에게 완패를 당한 뒤 모든 매체의 여론조사 결과에서 약세를 보였다. 1차 토론을 기점으로 오바마는 근소하게 앞서던 지지율을 모두 까먹었고 대선을 2주 남긴 22일 현재 전국 지지율에서 롬니와 사실상 동률을 이루고 있다. 주요 여론조사 결과를 취합해 전국 평균치를 산정하는 정치전문매체 ‘리얼클리어폴리틱스(RCP)’에 따르면 이날 현재 롬니 후보 47.6%, 오바마 대통령이 47.2%이다. 두 후보가 연일 소수점 한 자리(0.1~0.4%포인트)에서 엎치락뒤치락하고 있다.
일부 전문가들은 오바마가 3차 토론에서 롬니에게 승리한 효과가 생각보다 크지 않을 수 있다는 견해를 내놓고 있다. 실제로 오바마는 지난 16일 2차 토론에서 롬니보다 선전했지만 이 승리는 여론조사 결과에 그다지 큰 영향을 주지 못한 것으로 나타났다. 롬니가 TV토론에서 불리할 것이라는 예상을 뒤엎고 1차 토론에서 강렬한 모습을 보여준 게 유권자들에게 깊은 인상을 남긴 것으로 보인다.
이에 따라 내달 6일 결판날 박빙의 승부는 경합주 판세에 달렸다는 분석이 제기된다. CNN방송은 “초접전 양상을 보이는 판세는 사실상 오하이오와 플로리다, 버지니아 3개 주가 결정할 것”이라고 전망했다. 간접선거를 하는 미국에서 대통령에 당선되려면 총 선거인단 538명의 과반인 270명을 확보해야 하는데, 이 3개 주는 9개 경합주(110명) 중에서도 가장 많은 선거인단이 걸려 있다. 현재 판세대로라면 오바마가 270명을 채우기는 롬니보다 훨씬 쉬운 상황이다. 롬니는 플로리다와 오하이오에서 승리하더라도 나머지 7개 주에서 32명의 선거인을 확보해야 한다. 만약 플로리다를 놓친다면 롬니는 대권에서 멀어지게 된다. 총 선거인단 확보 수와 관련, 22일 현재 라스무센은 오바마 237명, 롬니 235명으로 예측했다. CNN은 오바마 237명, 롬니 191명으로 예상하고 있다.
미국의 버락 오바마 대통령과 미트 롬니 공화당 대선 후보가 22일(현지시간) 치러진 외교·안보정책 분야 토론을 마지막으로 세 차례의 TV토론을 모두 마쳤지만 종합적으로 누가 승자인지 가늠하기는 쉽지 않아 보인다.
미국 언론과 전문가들은 1차 토론은 롬니가, 2·3차 토론은 오바마가 앞선 것으로 분석하고 있다. 오바마는 1차전을 패한 뒤 심기일전해 나머지 토론에서 선전하며 종합 전적에서 2승1패로 우위를 보였다. 그러나 실제 효과 면에서는 롬니가 얻은 게 더 많다는 견해가 만만치 않다. 오바마가 두 차례의 승리에도 불구하고 1차전에서 워낙 강한 펀치를 맞아 아직 충격에서 완전히 벗어나지 못하고 있다는 것이다.
오바마는 지난 2일 첫 번째 토론에서 롬니에게 완패를 당한 뒤 모든 매체의 여론조사 결과에서 약세를 보였다. 1차 토론을 기점으로 오바마는 근소하게 앞서던 지지율을 모두 까먹었고 대선을 2주 남긴 22일 현재 전국 지지율에서 롬니와 사실상 동률을 이루고 있다. 주요 여론조사 결과를 취합해 전국 평균치를 산정하는 정치전문매체 ‘리얼클리어폴리틱스(RCP)’에 따르면 이날 현재 롬니 후보 47.6%, 오바마 대통령이 47.2%이다. 두 후보가 연일 소수점 한 자리(0.1~0.4%포인트)에서 엎치락뒤치락하고 있다.
일부 전문가들은 오바마가 3차 토론에서 롬니에게 승리한 효과가 생각보다 크지 않을 수 있다는 견해를 내놓고 있다. 실제로 오바마는 지난 16일 2차 토론에서 롬니보다 선전했지만 이 승리는 여론조사 결과에 그다지 큰 영향을 주지 못한 것으로 나타났다. 롬니가 TV토론에서 불리할 것이라는 예상을 뒤엎고 1차 토론에서 강렬한 모습을 보여준 게 유권자들에게 깊은 인상을 남긴 것으로 보인다.
이에 따라 내달 6일 결판날 박빙의 승부는 경합주 판세에 달렸다는 분석이 제기된다. CNN방송은 “초접전 양상을 보이는 판세는 사실상 오하이오와 플로리다, 버지니아 3개 주가 결정할 것”이라고 전망했다. 간접선거를 하는 미국에서 대통령에 당선되려면 총 선거인단 538명의 과반인 270명을 확보해야 하는데, 이 3개 주는 9개 경합주(110명) 중에서도 가장 많은 선거인단이 걸려 있다. 현재 판세대로라면 오바마가 270명을 채우기는 롬니보다 훨씬 쉬운 상황이다. 롬니는 플로리다와 오하이오에서 승리하더라도 나머지 7개 주에서 32명의 선거인을 확보해야 한다. 만약 플로리다를 놓친다면 롬니는 대권에서 멀어지게 된다. 총 선거인단 확보 수와 관련, 22일 현재 라스무센은 오바마 237명, 롬니 235명으로 예측했다. CNN은 오바마 237명, 롬니 191명으로 예상하고 있다.
[경향신문] 롬니 “외교 실패” 비판에 오바마 공세적 대응으로 판정승
ㆍ외교·안보 분야 최종 TV토론서 치열한 기싸움
미국 대통령 선거를 불과 2주 남기고 벌어진 22일(현지시간) 마지막 대선 후보 TV토론에서 민주당의 버락 오바마 대통령과 공화당의 미트 롬니 후보가 외교·안보 분야의 현안을 놓고 치열한 공방전을 벌였다. 미국 언론과 여론조사 기관은 두 후보가 모두 상대를 압도하지는 못했다고 평가하면서도 시종 공세적인 모습을 보인 오바마에게 높은 점수를 줬다.
지난 2일 1차 토론에서 롬니에게 완패한 오바마는 16일 2차 토론에 이어 이날 3차 토론에서도 판정승을 거둠에 따라 남은 2주간의 선거운동에서 유리한 고지에 오를 수 있을 것으로 보인다. 그러나 TV토론 성적이 판세에 미치는 영향이 제한적일 것이라는 반론도 제기되고 있어 3차 토론 이후의 여론조사 결과에 관심이 집중되고 있다.
전국 지지율에서 사실상 동률을 이루고 있는 오바마와 롬니는 이날 부동층 유권자들의 표심을 잡을 수 있는 마지막 기회인 3차 토론에서 다소 긴장한 모습을 보였다. 그러나 두 후보는 이번에도 상대의 말을 끊으며 즉각 반론을 펴는 등 치열한 기싸움으로 일관했다.
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오바마는 자신이 상대적으로 우위를 갖고 있는 것으로 평가되는 이날 외교·안보 분야 토론에서 롬니의 경험부족을 부각시키며 롬니의 정책을 “잘못된 것이며 무모하다”고 공격했다. 특히 자신의 재임 기간에 이라크 전쟁을 끝내고 아프가니스탄 전쟁을 마감할 예정이며 빈 라덴을 사살했다고 강조함으로써 군 통수권자로서의 경험을 내세웠다.
롬니는 자신의 외교 전략은 미국의 안보를 위협하는 세력을 추적해 제거하고 이슬람권이 스스로 극단주의를 포기하도록 하는 것이라며 “중동에 알카에다가 출몰하는 것은 오바마 행정부의 외교가 실패했음을 의미한다”고 지적했다. 이에 오바마는 “알카에다가 위험하다는 것을 알게 됐다니 다행”이라며 “롬니는 수개월 전까지 러시아가 최대 적이라고 말하지 않았느냐”고 공격했다.
두 후보는 이날 토론에서 이란의 핵개발을 저지하는 문제를 놓고 장시간 설전을 벌였다. 롬니는 오바마가 취임 직후부터 이스라엘을 빼놓고 중동 각국을 돌며 ‘사죄 여행’을 했다고 지적하면서 “이로 인해 이란은 미국의 약점을 발견했고 지난 4년 동안 핵보유국에 가까워졌다”고 비난했다. 이에 오바마는 “내가 대통령으로 있는 한 이란의 핵보유는 절대 용납하지 않을 것”이라며 “나의 정책은 무력 사용이 최후 수단이라는 점에서 롬니와 다르다”고 반격했다.
롬니는 ‘강한 미국’을 위해 국방예산을 삭감해서는 안된다고 강조하고 “건강보험 개혁을 폐기해 예산을 절감하고 이를 국방비에 보탤 것”이라고 말했다. 그는 “미국의 해군력은 1917년 이후 최저”라며 “내가 대통령이 되면 군함을 늘리고 공군의 낡은 전투기도 교체할 것”이라고 강조했다. 그러자 오바마는 “전쟁의 개념은 변했으며 중요한 것은 숫자가 아니라 능력”이라면서 “롬니의 논리대로라면 우리는 말과 총검도 부족하다”고 비꼬았다.
중국 외교와 관련해 오바마 대통령은 “중국은 적이기도 하지만 국제규범을 준수한다면 잠재적 동반자가 될 수 있다”고 말했다. 롬니는 중국과의 협력이 필요하다는 점을 인정하면서도 “중국은 공정하게 무역을 하지 않기 때문에 대통령이 되면 취임 첫날 중국을 환율조작국으로 지정할 것”이라고 강조했다.
토론 직후 CNN 방송이 발표한 여론조사 결과에서 응답자의 48%는 오바마를 승자로 꼽았다. 롬니의 승리라고 답한 사람은 40%에 그쳤다. 부동층을 대상으로 한 CBS 방송 여론조사에서도 오바마가 승자라는 응답이 53%에 달해 23%에 그친 롬니를 크게 앞선 것으로 나타났다.
ㆍ외교·안보 분야 최종 TV토론서 치열한 기싸움
미국 대통령 선거를 불과 2주 남기고 벌어진 22일(현지시간) 마지막 대선 후보 TV토론에서 민주당의 버락 오바마 대통령과 공화당의 미트 롬니 후보가 외교·안보 분야의 현안을 놓고 치열한 공방전을 벌였다. 미국 언론과 여론조사 기관은 두 후보가 모두 상대를 압도하지는 못했다고 평가하면서도 시종 공세적인 모습을 보인 오바마에게 높은 점수를 줬다.
지난 2일 1차 토론에서 롬니에게 완패한 오바마는 16일 2차 토론에 이어 이날 3차 토론에서도 판정승을 거둠에 따라 남은 2주간의 선거운동에서 유리한 고지에 오를 수 있을 것으로 보인다. 그러나 TV토론 성적이 판세에 미치는 영향이 제한적일 것이라는 반론도 제기되고 있어 3차 토론 이후의 여론조사 결과에 관심이 집중되고 있다.
전국 지지율에서 사실상 동률을 이루고 있는 오바마와 롬니는 이날 부동층 유권자들의 표심을 잡을 수 있는 마지막 기회인 3차 토론에서 다소 긴장한 모습을 보였다. 그러나 두 후보는 이번에도 상대의 말을 끊으며 즉각 반론을 펴는 등 치열한 기싸움으로 일관했다.
버락 오바마 미국 대통령(오른쪽)이 22일 미 플로리다 린 대학에서 열린 대선 후보 3차 TV토론에 앞서 미트 롬니 공화당 후보와 인사를 나누고 있다. 보카레이턴 | AFP연합뉴스
오바마는 자신이 상대적으로 우위를 갖고 있는 것으로 평가되는 이날 외교·안보 분야 토론에서 롬니의 경험부족을 부각시키며 롬니의 정책을 “잘못된 것이며 무모하다”고 공격했다. 특히 자신의 재임 기간에 이라크 전쟁을 끝내고 아프가니스탄 전쟁을 마감할 예정이며 빈 라덴을 사살했다고 강조함으로써 군 통수권자로서의 경험을 내세웠다.
롬니는 자신의 외교 전략은 미국의 안보를 위협하는 세력을 추적해 제거하고 이슬람권이 스스로 극단주의를 포기하도록 하는 것이라며 “중동에 알카에다가 출몰하는 것은 오바마 행정부의 외교가 실패했음을 의미한다”고 지적했다. 이에 오바마는 “알카에다가 위험하다는 것을 알게 됐다니 다행”이라며 “롬니는 수개월 전까지 러시아가 최대 적이라고 말하지 않았느냐”고 공격했다.
두 후보는 이날 토론에서 이란의 핵개발을 저지하는 문제를 놓고 장시간 설전을 벌였다. 롬니는 오바마가 취임 직후부터 이스라엘을 빼놓고 중동 각국을 돌며 ‘사죄 여행’을 했다고 지적하면서 “이로 인해 이란은 미국의 약점을 발견했고 지난 4년 동안 핵보유국에 가까워졌다”고 비난했다. 이에 오바마는 “내가 대통령으로 있는 한 이란의 핵보유는 절대 용납하지 않을 것”이라며 “나의 정책은 무력 사용이 최후 수단이라는 점에서 롬니와 다르다”고 반격했다.
롬니는 ‘강한 미국’을 위해 국방예산을 삭감해서는 안된다고 강조하고 “건강보험 개혁을 폐기해 예산을 절감하고 이를 국방비에 보탤 것”이라고 말했다. 그는 “미국의 해군력은 1917년 이후 최저”라며 “내가 대통령이 되면 군함을 늘리고 공군의 낡은 전투기도 교체할 것”이라고 강조했다. 그러자 오바마는 “전쟁의 개념은 변했으며 중요한 것은 숫자가 아니라 능력”이라면서 “롬니의 논리대로라면 우리는 말과 총검도 부족하다”고 비꼬았다.
중국 외교와 관련해 오바마 대통령은 “중국은 적이기도 하지만 국제규범을 준수한다면 잠재적 동반자가 될 수 있다”고 말했다. 롬니는 중국과의 협력이 필요하다는 점을 인정하면서도 “중국은 공정하게 무역을 하지 않기 때문에 대통령이 되면 취임 첫날 중국을 환율조작국으로 지정할 것”이라고 강조했다.
토론 직후 CNN 방송이 발표한 여론조사 결과에서 응답자의 48%는 오바마를 승자로 꼽았다. 롬니의 승리라고 답한 사람은 40%에 그쳤다. 부동층을 대상으로 한 CBS 방송 여론조사에서도 오바마가 승자라는 응답이 53%에 달해 23%에 그친 롬니를 크게 앞선 것으로 나타났다.
<본 짤은 특정 상황과 관계있습니다??>
너를 죽여야 내가 산다.
지지율은 동급. 이것이 바로 단두대 매치.
지는 자는 러시모어에서 운지하긔. 오늘 지면 같이 죽자.
너를 죽여야 내가 산다.
지지율은 동급. 이것이 바로 단두대 매치.
지는 자는 러시모어에서 운지하긔. 오늘 지면 같이 죽자.
..............솔직히, 1차토론때 오황상이 너무 봐줬음. 그때 아주 병신을 만들었어야했는데...'ㅅ'
tag : 2012_미국대선, 그때_봐주지말고_팼어야했는데, 단두대매치
