President Obama responded at the town hall debate, to a question about the attack on the American embassy in Libya. He both stood by his record in national security, and attacked Romney’s political response to the situation.
“Let me first of all talk about our diplomats, because they serve all around the world, and do an incredible job in a very dangerous situation,” said Obama. “And these aren’t just representatives of the United States — they’re my representatives. I send them there oftentimes into harm’s way. I know these folks and I know their families. So nobody’s more concerned about their safety and security than I am.
“So as soon as we found out that the Benghazi consulate was being overrun, I was on the phone with my national security team and I gave them instructions: Number one, beef up security procedures, not just in Libya, but every consulate in the region. Number two, investigate exactly what happened, regardless of where the facts lead us, to make sure that folks are held accountable and it doesn’t happen again. And number three, we are going to find out who did this, and we are going to hunt them down. Because one of the things that I’ve said throughout my presidency is, when folks mess with Americans, we go after them.
“Now, Gov. Romney had a very different response. While we were still dealing with our diplomats being threatened, Gov. Romney put out a press release trying to make political points, and that’s not how a Commander-in-Chief operates. You don’t turn national security into a political issue, certainly not right when it’s happening.”
