Obama wins third debate on points

If it had been a boxing match, President Obama would have won on points. Whatever the case, Obama did win the third and final debate. Will it matter? Two weeks from tomorrow we will know for sure.

In the end, Obama won two of the three debates. But the lone win by Romney in the first one may have been the most meaningful since it stopped the Obama momentum – building in favor of the president before that point. The initial debate took the wind from the president’s sails and seemed to breathe life into the Romney campaign.

So at this point, it’s anybody’s guess. And the trend in several battleground states, like Florida and Virginia, seems to be favoring Romney. We’ll check this out as the week develops and see where each candidate lands his plane and where he spends his money in advertising.

Ohio still seems in the President’s column, although still in play. A victory there along with a win in Iowa, for example, would almost assure Obama’s reelection. But at this point, nothing is certain.

Finally, and regarding tonight’s debate, Romney amazed me by agreeing on almost everything with the president. Strange, I thought. Or was it part of a strategy?

And as has been the case, Romney had no problem changing his stance on an important issue. When asked about troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, Romney said all U.S. troops should be out by 2014. He never mentioned he would base his decision on advice from his field commanders, for example, an argument he had made in the second debate.

I wonder if people care? Do they even notice?

The fact is the election is only two weeks away and this will go down to the end. It didn’t have to. And if Obama were to lose – something I still don’t believe will happen – he can look back at his performance in the first debate as a big reason for the defeat.

Alvaro F. Fernandez