Temperament

It says a lot about who and where you think you are...

In general:

Candidates who are behind go on the attack.  

Candidates who are ahead stay positive.

Mitt Romney took a surprisingly subdued tone during the final Presidential Debate that focused on foreign policy.  With discontent and criticism mounting on the Administration's actions and statements over the terrorist attack on September 11, 2012 in Libya, Iran's continued pursuit of nuclear weapons, and the Fast and Furious debacle in Mexico - there was plenty of ammunition for Romney.  Following acrimonious tenor and attacks of the previous debates after Denver's first debate - many were surprised when Romney declined to attack Obama as forcefully.  

The only Romney attack that resembled the previous debates came when the Governor explained his characterization of the Obama's trip overseas as an Apology Tour:

"Mr. President, the reason I call it an apology tour is because you went to the Middle East and you flew to — to Egypt and to Saudi Arabia and to — to Turkey and Iraq. And — and by way, you skipped Israel, our closest friend in the region, but you went to the other nations. And by the way, they noticed that you skipped Israel. And then in those nations and on Arabic TV you said that America had been dismissive and derisive. You said that on occasion America had dictated to other nations. Mr. President, America has not dictated to other nations. We have freed other nations from dictators."

Otherwise Romney took a very calm role, agreeing with the President often, and stating differences without phrasing them as attacks against President Obama.  This - according to campaign insiders - was deliberate decision to present Governor Romney as calm, Presidential, and less vulnerable to the accusation that he would pursue a George Bush style interventionist foreign policy.  

Since the beginning of the campaign, Romney's choice of tactic was not demonize Obama - but rather make the argument that, however well-meaning, his policies and plans have not worked.  

Typically candidates try to take the high road - focusing on a positive message while letting surrogates and other groups to be the attack dog.  This is particularly true when the candidate is the incumbent President.  The public expects the President to be ... well... Presidential.  Savage personal attacks, the public tends to believe, are beneath the dignity of the office.

Nonetheless, Obama's campaign has painted Mitt Romney as a Corporate Raider leaving behind unemployment, outsourced jobs, families stripped of health insurance.  After the first debate the campaign shifted to calling Mitt Romney a liar.  This has morphed into derisively claiming that the medical condition of "Romnesia" is covered under Obamacare.  Incredibly during a Rolling Stone Interview, the President indirectly referred to Romney as a bullshitter.  

While candidates and their campaigns do not have direct control over third parties like Super PACs, when their campaigns adopt those messages - they become the message of the candidate.  So when the Obama campaign reposted an illustration of Governor Romney as a dunce - it was rightfully interpreted as an attack by the President.

Romney has used these attacks to contrast his plan from the President's plan be repeating the refrain - "Attacking me is not an agenda."  Romney's campaign appears to be confident  enough about the momentum of the race for him to take a softer, more positive approach.  When he had the last word at the end of the final debate, many expected him to launch an attack on Obama - just as Obama had waited to pull out the 47% attack during his last closing statement when Romney could no longer respond.  

Romney talked about optimism:

Thank you, Bob, Mr. President, folks at Lynn University — good to be with you. I'm optimistic about the future. I'm excited about our prospects as a nation. I want to see peace. I want to see growing peace in this country, it's our objective. We have an opportunity to have real leadership. America's going to have that kind of leadership and continue to promote principles of peace that'll make a world the safer place and make people in this country more confident that their future is secure.

I also want to make sure that we get this economy going. And there are two very different paths the country can take. One is a path represented by the president, which, at the end of four years, would mean we'd have $20 trillion in debt, heading towards Greece. I'll get us on track to a balanced budget. The president's path will mean continuing declining in take-home pay. I want to make sure our take-home pay turns around and starts to grow. The president's path means 20 million people out of work struggling for a good job. I'll get people back to work with 12 million new jobs. I'm going to make sure that we get people off of food stamps not by cutting the program but by getting them good jobs. 

America's going to come back. And for that to happen, we're going to have to have a president who can work across the aisle. I was in a state where my legislature was 87 percent Democrat. I learned how to get along on the other side of the aisle. We've got to do that in Washington. Washington is broken. I know what it takes to get this country back. And we'll work with good Democrats and good Republicans to do that. 

This nation is the hope of the earth. We've been blessed by having a nation that's free and prosperous thanks to the contributions of the Greatest Generation. They've held a torch for the world to see, the torch of freedom and hope and opportunity. Now it's our turn to take that torch. I'm convinced we'll do it. We need strong leadership. I'd like to be that leader, with your support. I'll work with you. I'll lead you in an open and honest way. And I ask for your vote. I'd like to be the next president of the United States to support and help this great nation, and to make sure that we all together maintain America as the hope of the earth. Thank you so much.

If this approach works, his campaign will be lauded.  If he loses - expect accusations that his campaign massively underestimating the electorate.