China And The Candidates- Perfect Together


That would be Osama, Mr. Schieffer.   When Bob Schieffer asked President Obama and Mitt Romney at the third presidential debate (transcript here) about Pakistan, he got a little (to be generous) tongue-tied (emphasis mine):

All right. Let me go to Governor Romney because you talked about Pakistan and what needs to be done there. General Allen, our commander in Afghanistan, says that Americans continue to die at the hands of groups who are supported by Pakistan. We know that Pakistan has arrested the doctor who helped us catch Obama's — bin Laden. It still provides safe haven for terrorists, yet we continue to give Pakistan billions of dollars. Is it time for us to divorce Pakistan?

The question provided Mitt Romney yet another opportunity to reverse course on a position he previously held, as well as an additional chance to agree with the President.   His response included "And I — I don't blame the administration for the fact that the relationship with Pakistan is strained. We had to go into Pakistan; we had to go in there to get Osama bin Laden. That was the right thing to do."

Although Barack Obama rarely agreed with his opponent (and had little reason to do so), he concurred in one notable instance.  After Romney responded to a query about his pledge to declare mainland China a currency manipulator, the President began by stating "Well, Governor Romney's right. You are familiar with jobs being shipped overseas, because you invested in companies that were shipping jobs overseas. And, you know, that's your right. I mean, that's how our free market works."

Mentioning "you invested in companies that were shipping jobs overseas" is weak, obviously reluctant, criticism, especially when your opponent has been financially immersed with the Communist Chinese (oops, sorry, Chinese).   The motive for suspension of use of Bain Capital by the Obama campaign is becoming clearer.     Barack Obama simply does not agree with the line of attack.  Shipping jobs overseas may be a part of the free market, but the Democratic candidate- the Democratic candidate- does not have to applaud Mitt Romney's decision to make tens of millions of dollars by sending American jobs abroad.   And that is precisely what the President argued:  "And, you know, that's your right.  I mean, that's how our free market works."  Hooray for the free market and the loss of middle-class jobs.

This is hardly a mere oversight.   Obama's support for the transfer of jobs to other nations, primarily to Asia and especially to mainland China, appears to be the reason he went through 90 minutes in the third presidential debate without once mentioning the word Bain or the phrase offshore accounts.   And 90 minutes in the second presidential debate.  And 90 minutes in the first presidential debate.  It may be, further, why he did not call Romney out on the likelihood that, if his record is any guide, the former private equity manager will not declare China a currency manipulator on Day 1, Day 100, or Day 1461.





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