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9/14/12

Middle East violence presents foreign policy challenges for both Obama, Romney - by Lee-Anne Goodman

A sudden eruption of anti-American turmoil in the Middle East poses challenges for both U.S. President Barack Obama and Republican rival Mitt Romney, with both men facing tough questions about their foreign policy know-how less than 60 days before the Nov. 6 vote.

Romney was still on the hot seat Thursday for his assertion that the Obama administration sympathized with the forces storming Middle East U.S. embassies this week, while the president was facing even tougher, more substantive questions.

Does the United States have an intelligence gap in Libya that resulted in the slaying of U.S. ambassador Chris Stevens? Why was security seemingly so lax at U.S. diplomatic buildings in Libya and Egypt?

Was it a mistake for the U.S. to nudge Egypt's Hosni Mubarak, a longtime American ally, out of power? Why is the U.S. still regarded so poorly in the Muslim world after supporting pro-democracy rebels during the Arab Spring?

At a campaign stop in Colorado, Obama vowed again to catch those responsible for the deaths of Stevens and three other American diplomats, but didn't delve into the bigger issues at hand.

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