Obama was definitely caught off guard when the far right candidate he has faced all year was replaced by a devotee of socialist welfare states. However, he could and should have recovered from that and hammered Romney over all the positions he consistently took all year only to abandon Wednesday night.

He hardly lacked evidence; the 47% comment alone was enough to discredit Romneys 90 minute "commitment" to the welfare state. Or the year-long promise "job creator" tax cuts he repeatedly repudiated during the debate. Just restricting Obama to what Romneys debate comments, he celebrated regulation, entitlements and education, yet never listed any he wanted to expand or even maintain, despite citing many of each he wanted to reduce. The only exception was that his empty pledge to restore the $700 billion in Medicare waste Obama eliminated, and Obama should have nailed him on that by pointing out the Ryan plan Romney cuts just as much but, unlike Obamas plan, Romney and Ryan actually WOULD cut care instead of waste.

Or how about the debate over defining "small business"? Obama said he is not raising taxes on 97% of small businesses, but Romney shot back that the remaining 3% accounts for 25% of US jobs: If 3% of small businesses provide 25% of US jobs HTF ARE THEY "SMALL"?! When Romney promised them a tax cut, noting he must cut individual rates man of them use, was that not a pledge to cut upper class taxes? Just two of many opportunities Obama missed.

So, yeah, Romney pulled a fast one on Obama and the public, but Obama was too clumsy and disoriented to call him on it as he easily could have.