Presidential debate played like a prizefight

Americans love a prizefight, and last night they got one. Both Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama threw verbal punches at one another that at times unsettled many viewers. 

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Prior to the debates, it was worried that the town hall format would keep the debate low key as the candidates would be surprised by each question and constantly shifting topics, however that turned out not to be the case. 

Both men moved about the floor of the hall, often in close proximity to one another, gesturing, interrupting, and generally disregarding the rules of the debate. 

Both routinely went well over-time in their remarks, and often spent the beginnings of new questions trying to get the last word in on the previous. 

However, these antics didn't provide the fireworks that the statements themselves did. 

The tensest moment of the debate came when a citizen asked Obama if he was responsible for the lack of security in Libya at the time of the recent terror attacks. The atmosphere was hushed and palpable. 

Admirably, Obama took full responsibility for security, but stopped short of saying whether or not he knew the truth about the attacks. Romney pointed that the President referred to terrorism in his immediate remarks, but then began referring to the event as a demonstration gone bad. 

The implication was that the Obama administration had no clue what really happened despite warnings, testimonies, and common sense. Ultimately, Obama tried to believe what he wanted to believe, but the facts did not support him. 

Romney added that Obama departed for two fundraisers in the wake of the tragedy. 

Obama took exception to the notion that he had played politics with the event and delivered one of the most tense lines of the debate. "The suggestion that anybody in my team would play politics or mislead when we've lost four of our own, governor, is offensive. That's not what we do," said Obama. 

Repeatedly, Romney's best moments came when he pointed out that Obama has been president for the past four years. On a wide range of issues, Romney was able to point out where the current administration had failed in one way or another to deliver on promises. 

Immigration reform, a campaign promise that Obama pledged to complete within his first year, remains largely where it was four years ago. Romney also pointed out the administration's failures in controlling the deficit, ensuring energy independence, and foreign policy. 

Romney pointed out that the price of gas had risen to over $4 per gallon during Obama's presidency, up from an average of $1.86. Obama was never able to explain why this was the case. 

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Of course, the greatest punch was Romney's statement of fact that unemployment remains much higher than it ought to be. 

Obama countered against many of Romney's ideas saying the Governor lacked specifics. 

With the feisty debate concluded, the question that remains is whether or not either side managed to sway voters. Early polls suggest Obama eked out a narrow victory over Romney, but that this may not be enough to check Romney's momentum. 

As of this morning, Romney had a 49 percent to 47 percent lead over Obama according to Rasmussen Reports.

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