After the debate this evening I spoke with my father. He is a true, dyed in the wool, Republican. He was rather pleased that Obama was off tonight, about as much as I was disappointed. Then he said something to me that made sense, and may explain a portion of what we saw from the President this evening.
We cannot forget that earlier today Mr. Obama had to be totally engaged with the happenings in Turkey. As a NATO ally, if Turkey spit the bit and went hog wild on Syria, Obama would have had to react. I am sure that at some point the President had to discuss the issue with the PM of Turkey to make sure that the shit was under control, and then he had to deal with the military and diplomatic teams to make sure that the contingencies were in place. THEN he had to go out and face Rmoney and his lying ass. I'm sure the debate seemed like the least significant issue he had to deal with today.
We all remember how cool the President was during the bin-Laden mission. But that decision had been made, and there wasn't anything the President could do while the plan was being executed. This situation has got to be much different at almost every level.
As a NATO ally, we may be required to send troops to meet our obligations. The President has to be considering the myriad implications of any action taken in the Middle East, and the possibility of those actions spilling over to other nations in the region. All of this is happening within 8 hours of the start of the debate. My guess is that while he was on that stage, he was half listening to Rmoney's rambling and half thinking about the calls he has to make tomorrow morning, what he's going to say, and how he is going to say it. Mitt may have only had a portion of the President's attention - because the President has a day job and the consequences of that job matter.
And remember, this thought came from a republican who wants nothing more than to see Obama out of office.
Oh, and it's the President's anniversary, doubt that they were able to sneak away for a romantic dinner this evening.