Obama takes round three, but is it enough to counter first debate?

President Obama got crushed by Gov. Romney in the first debate. He arguably won the second debate. And he decisively won Monday’s third and final match up.

The question is whether Obama’s two narrow debate victories were enough to compensate for the brutal blow in the first one.

Goals for Monday met

President Obama and Gov. Romney clearly came into Monday’s debate with different strategies. Romney, who has surged in the polls since the first debate, seemingly came in with two goals: to look like a plausible commander-in-chief, and to appear reasonable and rational in his approach to foreign policy. He accomplished both.

The president’s goal was equally evident. Since he’s been sinking in both national and swing state polls, his goal was to go on the offensive and come across as a strong and decisive leader. He, too, achieved his goal.

There were a few moments that will likely be replayed numerous times on newscasts over the next few days. The first was President Obama’s line about “horses and bayonets.”