Governor Romney more than held his own in the foreign-policy debate. The president was belligerent but not terribly convincing. Some of his remarks were totally off base. For example, his bayonets and battleships remarks reflected a surprising ignorance of how naval forces are sized. (He was even wrong about bayonets, which the Marines and army still use in their dress drills.) And his assertions that his generals supported his defense cuts glossed over the fact that once a decision is made by the Office of Management and Budget, the military rightly defers to civilian control, however misguided it may believe that control to be.

Dov Zakheim served as the undersecretary of defense (comptroller) and chief financial officer for the U.S. Department of Defense from 2001–2004 and as the deputy undersecretary of defense (planning and resources) from 1985-1987. He also served as DoD's civilian coordinator for Afghan reconstruction from 2002–2004. He is a member of The National Interest's advisory council.