It wasn't the Horse & Bayonetts that was the winning zinger - it's what he said after that

[LynneSin]

I remember one time when I was a teenager and finally could drive. My mom was pretty cool about stuff, she didn't really have a curfew for me but just a request that if I was going to be home past a certain time that I was to give her a call so she knew everything was ok. Well one time when I didn't and I came home way after midnight I remember what my mother said when I tried to give her my excuse for not calling -

"You know they have these things call telephones, you can use them to call people and and let them know what's happening."

The whole "Horse and Bayonett" thing was funny as hell and will probably be super viral by this time tomorrow with videos, tweets, and photoshop opportunites. But what really stood out was how Obama essentially talked down to Mitt Romney and schooled him on just how little he knows about stuff. That moment was when Obama said this:

We have these things called aircraft carriers and planes land on them. We have ships that go underwater, nuclear submarines.

To me that was Obama saying 'Mitt you've had your fun getting all this attention playing "Presidential Candidate" but it's time I seal the deal on this election because I'm the only one qualified to do the job'.

I'll admit so far I've only watched the highlights but Mitt was really schooled bigtime when Obama said that. Obama looked Presidential and Mitt just sat there with that damn annoying smirk on his face. OMG He's Smirk Jr!

[Kalidurga]

1. Oh, I totally agree.

But, what followed wouldn't have been heard so much without the zinger before it.

[Lugnut]

2. It was beautiful.

It was one of the strangest Presidential debate I've ever watched. Mitt is absolutely the bottom of the GOP barrel.

[Indpndnt]

3. Sadly, he's not. Think of the morons he beat in the primaries to get here.

Bachmann, Santorum, Perry, Gingrich, Cain, and Paul. Those are definitely the bottom of the barrel. Willard was the cream of that refuse pile.

Sad, but true.

[lexw]

21. That is so true, but somehow scary.

[jmowreader]

23. Sad to say...

At this point the GOP would be better off with a Santorum/Cain ticket than the one they have.

Gunnery Sergeant Hartmann asked Pyle if he was born a fat, slimy puke piece of shit or if he had to work at it . While both Santorum and Romney were born with Pyle's mental affliction, Romney has worked hard to perfect it.

[-LOKI -BAD FOR YA]

29. agree so true n/t

[Turborama]

4. I agree 100%, Lynne. I just updated my OP to clarify that

Here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021610792

After he said it I couldn't get it my of my mind, it was such a genius put down. Rmoney was totally out of his depth and Obama took total advantage of it and took him all the way to humiliation station.

[Wellstone ruled]

5. We have a Bingo here!!!

[LuckyStrykes]

6. This exchange will be remembered for generations...

plus he gave Saturday Night Live some great material.

[Frank Cannon]

26. SNL couldn't approach the comedy genius...

That our President displayed last night with that one spontaneous retort. It WILL go down in history as one of the greatest, if not THE greatest, debate moments of all time.

[WinkyDink]

28. Last SNL with the 2nd debate was pretty lame. I'll take Obama's wit!

[loudsue]

7. My apolitical husband was totally won over by that exact point.

Obama laid Romney out on that punch. I just wonder how many brainwashed Americans figured out how significant that was.

[OSPREYXIV]

8. Was that a smirk or a grimace?

Sure looked like a man in pain.
His mask is melting. For me, he most telling information was conveyed to us by the body language we saw after the debate ended. Ann was holding on to a very unbalanced and clumsy old man who was on the verge of falling off the stage. Throughout the debate, the President was presenting an image of himself as strong, very much in control and much more capable than
the tired, emotionally brittle and stale drone who was repeating cliches, platitudes and lies with all the gusto and sincerity of a midway barker.

[WinkyDink]

27. Yes, that visual of Mitt's being supported---literally---by Ann was NOT a good one for him!

[DreamGypsy]

9. But, we must have Romney's navy ...

and mobile forces:



to insure our strategic advantage against the mighty Russians:

[Joe Shlabotnik]

18. Dammit those Ruskies have bayonets

America cannot risk a bayonet-gap!

[Baitball Blogger]

10. Schooled and schooled good.

[Cha]

11. Yes, Lynne.. And, I like what PBO said after That,

too!

"And so the question is not a game of Battleship, where we’re counting slips. It’s what are our capabilities. And so when I sit down with the Secretary of the Navy and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, we determine how are we going to be best able to meet all of our defense needs in a way that also keeps faith with our troops, that also makes sure that our veterans have the kind of support that they need when they come home."

[HooptieWagon]

12. It was deliberate condescension...

...that served two purposes. A) It made the point that willards understanding of foreign policy was that of a moron. B) I think he was trying to get under willards skin and make him flash his temper.

[BadGimp]

13. 88,676 posts will yield this kind of post - I love DU!

Wisdom does not come easy and it can take some time...



Thank You LynneSin!

[defacto7]

14. That was the moment that will remain from tonight

The genius of it was that Obama didn't bat an eye or crack smile. He said it absolutely seriously. Had he cracked a smile it would have destroyed the moment. But he said it as seriously as if it were... serious.

Great come back Mr. President.

[Pachamama]

16. "Not a game of Battleship"...

...or something to that efffect that Obama said in response to Romney...

It was a great moment and I agree with you on the serious way in which he answered - it was great - it was the moment in which I believe President Obama showed the US population and Mitt directly, that this is not some game, and that he is way out of his league....

[ellisonz]

15. I'd like to hear more from our military...

...on how they feel about this return to horses and bayonets.

[roscoeroscoe]

19. bayonets are no joke sir!

heck, it takes a day in basic training to learn the bayonet.

[jmowreader]

24. That's the only part of the comment that made me uneasy

Bayonets come in handy sometimes, which is why we still issue them. Horses and swords would have been better...but y'know, Obama not only won the debate and probably the election with that comment but justified voting Democratic downticket.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

17. I took it that Obama was out to show how hollow Romney's talking points were...

....and how stupid Romney was for thinking he could get away with them.

To confirm it, Romney had no prepared response when he was busted on trying to deceive the American People.

Nothing came to mind.

Nothing.

Blankness.

Zero.

Zip.

Nada.

He went into this:

[lexw]

20. :D

[lexw]

22. And the brilliant part is...

that Obama could not have known R$ was going to say that. Wow. Kudos, Mr. President!

[quaker bill]

25. I am sure he heard him say it before

because he has been saying it alot. My guess is that the President thought of how he would respond if that Mitt talking point was delivered. It was a brilliant response sharply delivered.