This is the third in a six-part series by The Washington Post taking a look at the major issues in the 2012 presidential campaign.

Associated PressIn this photo released by the Iranian President's Office, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, center, is escorted by technicians during a tour of Tehran's research reactor center in northern Tehran, Iran, on Feb. 15, 2012.

Editor's note: This is the third in a six-part series by The Washington Post taking a look at the major issues in the presidential campaign. The series will continue in the Sunday Business section and in BusinessMonday through Oct. 29. Oct. 22: health care

By DAN BALZ, DOUGLAS FRANTZ, JASON UKMAN and CAMERON BARR
Washington Post

WASHINGTON — There's an old saying that presidential elections are about peace and prosperity. When one or the other is absent, the incumbent usually is in trouble. But if President Barack Obama is vulnerable this year, it's because of the economy, not foreign policy.

That's the case despite the fact that the country has been at war for more than a decade and the president is on the defensive over an attack on a U.S. diplomatic post in Libya.

National security issues long have favored Republican presidential candidates. For most of Obama's presidency, his approval ratings on the issue have trumped those he receives on the economy. Mitt Romney has his differences with Obama but hasn't gained politically by talking about them.

Neither candidate spends much time on the trail discussing national security. The president reminds audiences that he ended the Iraq war and ordered the mission that killed Osama bin Laden. Romney characterizes Obama as a weak leader who has lowered the United States' profile worldwide. Lately, he has tried to seize on the attack in Libya to press his case.

For the majority of Americans, national security and foreign policy are mostly afterthoughts as they weigh their choices this fall. But as with domestic policy, the two candidates project distinctly different visions. Obama has adopted a collaborative, we're-all-in-this-together approach to world affairs; Romney says he wants to restore American preeminence.

Here are Obama and Romney's positions on foreign policy and defense, broken down by subject:

Iran

Obama

Obama has overseen the most severe economic sanctions in Iran's history in his administration's efforts to prevent the Islamic republic from developing a nuclear weapon. He has said he would take "no options off the table" to achieve that goal, an implicit threat of military action. Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful.

Obama has urged Israel — which considers a nuclear-armed Iran a threat to its existence — not to attack Iran's nuclear facilities unilaterally, insisting that there is still time for a diplomatic solution to the standoff. His approach has drawn criticism from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has called on Obama to publicly define "red lines" that would trigger an attack. Obama has resisted those entreaties and repeated his commitment to preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

The president's position is based on a belief that the sanctions against Iran will force the country to accept a compromise to curb its nuclear activities. Several rounds of sanctions have squeezed Iran's economy, particularly the all-important oil sector, and greatly undercut the value of its currency. The most severe measures took effect this past summer.

International nuclear talks with Iran are stalled. No firm dates for new negotiations have been set, and analysts say no breakthrough is likely until after the November election.

Romney

Romney has said that it would be "unacceptable for Iran to have a nuclear weapon" and indicated that he would use economic sanctions and diplomacy to pressure the country to abandon its nuclear ambitions. His policies closely resemble those of the Obama administration, but his rhetoric has at times been more heated.

Romney has stopped short of asserting that he would support a unilateral military strike by Israel, but a top adviser has said the candidate would respect the Jewish state's right to such action.

He has indicated that his "red line" for the use of force against Iran is distinct from that of the Obama administration. Although the president has said he would not permit Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon, Romney has said he would not allow the country to develop a nuclear "capability."

Iran has enough enriched uranium to build at least one nuclear weapon, possibly more, but would first have to develop a warhead and delivery system.

Romney says he would put a permanent aircraft-carrier task force in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf as a warning to Iran.

He faults Obama for not deterring Iranian terrorism, such as the plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States. He also has criticized Obama for not providing assistance to Iranian protesters during the 2009 Green Revolution.

Afghanistan

Obama

In deciding in late 2009 to escalate U.S. involvement in Afghanistan, Obama went against many Democrats and sided with the military. He increased the number of U.S. troops from just under 50,000 to about 100,000, coupling the rise with a promise to begin a gradual drawdown in 2011. Obama set a withdrawal date of 2014, earlier than some military commanders wanted.

The president's position was based on a belief that the longest war the United States has fought could be ended "responsibly" by using the surge troops to weaken the Taliban before turning over security to Afghan authorities. He ramped up drone attacks on al-Qaida leaders and other militants hiding in northwest Pakistan, managing to kill about two-thirds of the terrorist organization's leadership.

A key element of the Afghan transition has been the stepped-up training of the military and police, with a goal of a standing force of about 352,000. The numbers are being met, but a recent increase in insider attacks — in which Afghan security forces have targeted U.S. and other international troops — has raised questions about the effectiveness of the transition.

Obama's biggest victory in the Afghan war occurred across the border in Pakistan. In 2011, he ordered a joint operation by the CIA and the Joint Special Operations Command that killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.

Romney

Early on, Romney said U.S. forces should remain in Afghanistan until American military commanders say the job is done.

The former governor said in 2009 that the United States should "nurture democracy and human rights all over the world." During a foreign policy debate that November, he said that the United States should draw the Afghans toward modernity, and that "we don't want to literally pull up stakes and run out of town after the extraordinary investment that we've made."

Romney later said the United States should not "go off and try to fight a war of independence for another nation." He has said that the time has come for Afghan troops to earn and maintain their freedom, but he insists that Obama's decision to withdraw earlier than many ground commanders advised gave the Taliban a reason to wait until the American departure before launching large-scale operations aimed at overthrowing the government in Kabul.

And Romney has said that he would have reached out more to Afghan President Hamid Karzai, whom he met on a trip to Kabul in early 2010. He said he would consult with him "day to day."

Defense spending

Obama

Faced with a massive federal deficit, Obama announced plans in January for a leaner military that will tighten its overall spending while investing more heavily in Special Operations forces, drone aircraft and cybersecurity. A new military strategy he endorsed also emphasizes widening the U.S. security presence in the Asia-Pacific region.

The president's budget, in line with the 2011 Budget Control Act, reduces defense spending next year for the first time since 1998 and slows previously planned budget growth over the next nine years. The Army and the Marine Corps will be cut by 100,000 troops over the next five years. Under the administration's budget, the United States will invest almost $200 billion to modernize the nation's nuclear weapons building complex and strategic submarines, bombers and delivery systems. But overall military spending will fall from the current level of 4.5 percent of estimated gross domestic product to 2.9 percent in 2017.

The Budget Control Act mandates about $600 billion in across-the-board defense cuts over the next decade, starting next year, if lawmakers cannot come up with a plan to trim the federal deficit by $1.2 trillion. The president and Congress have said they are exploring ways to avert the automatic cuts through budget savings or additional revenue.

Romney

Romney has vowed that he would maintain defense spending at a minimum of 4 percent of the nation's gross domestic product and that he would increase active-duty military personnel by 100,000 troops.

The former governor has said he would reinvest in weapons systems. He has pledged to step up the Navy's shipbuilding rate, from nine vessels a year to 15, and restart the production of Lockheed Martin's F-22 Raptor stealth fighter, which Defense Secretary Robert Gates ended in 2009.

Romney said he would call on NATO allies to devote 2 percent of their gross domestic product to security spending — a level met by only three of the 28 nations today.

Promising to roll back what he calls Obama's "deep and arbitrary cuts" to defense spending, Romney said he would spend more on missile defense and the Navy. For example, he said he would build 15 new ships a year, including three submarines.

To cover the increased costs, the candidate has said he would seek unspecified savings throughout the Pentagon budget, identifying inefficiencies in the Defense Department's civilian workforce and instituting greater competition in procurement processes.

Terrorism

Obama

Obama has overseen the expansion of covert counterterrorism operations, and has authorized an increase in the number of drone strikes in Pakistan and Yemen. Two-thirds of al-Qaida's leaders have been killed during his administration, and most of the group's fighters have been driven out of Afghanistan.

The president gave the orders that led to the killing of bin Laden in May 2011. Nearly four months later, Anwar al-Awlaki, an American-born propagandist and key al-Qaida figure in Yemen, was killed in a U.S. drone strike.

U.S. officials have said that, despite al-Qaida's losses in Afghanistan and Pakistan, some of the group's affiliates are gaining strength. Members of a group called al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb have been linked to the attack on a U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya, although there is no indication that the group directed the assault.

In one of his first official acts, Obama signed an order that limits U.S. interrogators to using only techniques outlined in the Army Field Manual. The decision effectively banned torture and practices such as waterboarding.

The president has been unable to shut down the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in part because of restrictions from Congress. The White House says he still intends to close it.

Romney

Romney has said that he is comfortable with the use of drones to strike suspected terrorists in Pakistan.

He advocates maintaining the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, saying that he does not want the inmates on U.S. soil and does not support giving them access to civilian courts.

The former governor has said that he would not authorize the torture of terrorism suspects, but he said he would not be bound by the restrictions in the Army Field Manual. He said he does not think waterboarding constitutes torture.

Romney called the Sept. 11 strike on a U.S. diplomatic outpost in Benghazi a terrorist attack. His campaign and various surrogates have criticized President Obama and administration officials for what they say are mixed signals about the nature of the assault. They say a clear explanation is needed.

Romney says the attack in Benghazi and anti-American protests should not be considered random incidents. Rather, he says, they are expressions of a larger struggle between tyranny and democracy in which Obama and his administration have not exerted the American leadership necessary to influence world events in the right direction. Not acting, Romney says, has cost the United States new friends and worried old friends.

Middle East

Obama

In June 2009, Obama delivered a major speech in Cairo in which he promised "to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims."

He asserted that persuading the Palestinians to renounce violence and the Israelis to stop building settlements would open the way for talks to end a conflict that has damaged U.S. relations with Arab countries. His efforts to restart peace talks, however, foundered when the Israelis refused to halt settlement construction and the Palestinians did not join peace talks when they had the chance.

In early 2011, as uprisings against autocratic rulers spread across Arab countries, Obama said the United States would help promote transitions to democracy but declined to commit U.S. military forces.

When Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi threatened to crush protesters with massive force, Obama sought a unified international response that contributed to NATO's military support of the opposition movement. The rebels deposed and killed Gadhafi. In Syria, Obama has resisted calls from opposition groups to intervene militarily.

Obama has appealed for tolerance and calm in response to protests across the region over a YouTube video that defames the prophet Muhammad and he vowed to seek justice for those responsible for the deaths of four Americans in Benghazi.

Romney

Romney has expressed support for the transition to democracy across the Middle East, but he has warned that extremists and groups backed by Iran are trying to take advantage of the turmoil. To continue receiving U.S. foreign assistance, he said, Egypt must honor its peace treaty with Israel and protect the rights of its own religious minorities.

He has expressed support for arming the opposition in Syria, but he has not suggested sending U.S. military forces into the country. Like Obama, however, he has said he would send U.S. troops to Syria if necessary to prevent the use or spread of that country's stockpile of chemical weapons.

Romney has said that Israel is the United States' closest ally in the Middle East and has called it "a beacon of democracy and freedom in the region." He has said that the tumult in the Middle East has increased Israel's security risks and offered support for its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Romney argues that the key to lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians is a strong and secure Israel.

Romney found himself on the defensive for early criticism of a statement issued by the U.S. Embassy in Egypt in response to protests over the YouTube video. He responded by criticizing the Obama administration's handling of the protests and the investigation of the death of Christopher Stevens, the American ambassador to Libya.

The original photos that precipitated the Cuban Missile Crisis were developed at Westover by an exclusive technical squadron of airmen who then shipped them to Washington, D.C.

Fifty years ago Monday, Russell Berman was a teen-ager doing yard work after school in Holyoke when the lady he was working for called him into the house with an odd request.

“I want you to watch the television with me,” she told the boy. “The president is going to be on.”

All over the country, Americans stopped what they were doing as they took in a terrifying scenario: The president was telling the world it was on the brink of nuclear war.

It was Oct. 22, 1962. President John F. Kennedy revealed to the nation that the Soviet Union had been caught setting up nuclear warhead-bearing missiles in Cuba, just 90 miles from Florida. They had the potential to drop on Washington, D.C. The president said we would not allow the missiles to become operational.

Days earlier, an American U-2 spy plane had taken the incriminating photos. The missile site was in a country ruled by Communist dictator Fidel Castro, but the Kremlin was in control.

The confrontation that played out over 13 days became known as the Cuban Missile Crisis, and it was something anyone who lived through it will never forget. Americans who lived anywhere near a military base or major city assumed they were early targets. Much of the rest of the world worried that if the blast didn’t get them, the nuclear fallout would.

In 1974, TV movie, “The Missiles of October,” told the story of that tension-filled time (although without the still-secret details of the agreement that resolved it), and the 2000 movie “13 Days” told it again.

Western Massachusetts played a crucial role in the crisis because it was home to Westover Air Force Base, then a major Strategic Air Command installation.

“Fifty years ago this was one of the largest military air bases in the entire country,” said M. Sgt. Andrew Biscoe of Westover, who is writing a book about the Chicopee base with the working title “Westover Heyday: the Strategic Air Command Years.”

In fact, the original photos that precipitated the Cuban Missile Crisis were developed at Westover by an exclusive technical squadron of airmen who then shipped them to Washington, D.C.

At the time, the United States had gone through a series of crises related to its “Cold War” with the Soviets. Only a year earlier, the Soviets had built the Berlin Wall in Germany, cutting Berlin from East Germany, and a group of Cuban exiles in this country had tried and failed to invade Communist Cuba to overthrow Castro in what came to be known as the Bay of Pigs.

Americans had long known the United States and Russia had Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles, ICBMs for short, aimed at each other. Our Air Force had B-52 bombers – including those from Westover – in the air at all times, ready to divert to enemy targets on a moment’s notice. And all these missiles and airplanes carried nuclear weapons, capable of killing millions of people in an all-out war.

Vincent Ferraro

“We were in a state of hyper alert,” said Vincent Ferraro, professor of international politics at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley. “We were really expecting the end of the world at any point.”

As JFK addressed the nation, Stephen Jendrysik, of Chicopee, was correcting papers at his dining room table with the TV turned on. He was a first-year teacher at Chicopee Comprehensive High School.

“When the president invoked the Monroe Doctrine,” said Jendrysik, “I knew this was for real.”

The Monroe Doctrine, established by President James Monroe in 1823, decreed that any intervention by a European power in the Americas would be considered aggressive acts requiring a response by the United States.

“The president appealed to Chairman Krushchev to get the missiles out of Cuba,” Russell Berman recalled, referring to Soviet Premiere Nikita Krushchev.

“The United States and the Soviet Union were the two biggest powers at that time,” said 80-year-old Clodo Concepcion, of Springfield, a Cuban-American who was serving in the U.S. Air Force in Biloxi, Miss. “If they go to war, they annihilate each other.”

For 13 days, the planet’s future seemed to hang by a thread, as leaders scrambled behind the scenes to defuse the situation and the United States set up a blockade – officially labeled a “quarantine” – against Soviet ships heading to Cuba.

“The president put the entire nation on alert – very high alert,” said Biscoe. “‘Back then we had a huge armada of B-52 bombers and KC-135 refueling tankers, aerial partners that would fly missions all over the world and refuel in mid-air.”

10-12-12 - Chicopee- Republican Staff Photo by Don Treeger- Master Sgt. Andrew Biscoe poses under a model of a B-52 Bomber at the entrance to Westover Air Reserve Base.Don Treeger, Republican staff photographer

Meanwhile, Westover’s SAC leaders met in a bomb-proof underground bunker built in 1958 at the Notch in South Hadley. “It became where they hunkered down all through the Cuban Missile Crisis,” said Biscoe.

Even little children were touched by a sense of doom. “I remember it being a nerve-wracking, tense time around the house,” said Louis Barry, of Granby, then a little boy in Boston.

Ed Lavelle, of Holyoke, overheard his elders worrying that if Westover were attacked, nearby homes like theirs would go, too.

Lavelle had immigrated to this country from Ireland a few years earlier. He recalls vividly where he was when the crisis was announced (watching TV at an uncle’s house with a cousin), but he also remembers the faith his family had in the president.

“The world revolved around Jack Kennedy for all the Irish,” he said. “Whatever he did, it was the right thing to do. And history proved it.”

“Krushchev seriously miscalculated what Kennedy would do,” said Ferraro, citing the president’s youth and his reputation as a playboy.

“Krushchev certainly had not anticipated being caught, and he tried to deny it for some time. He hadn’t counted on having photos being broadcast all over the world.

“Both Kennedy and Krushchev realized they were riding a tiger,” said Ferraro, and the question was how to let go.

In spite of calls from some American generals and European leaders to go to war, Kennedy secretly sent his brother, Attorney General Robert Kennedy, to work out a deal with the Soviet ambassador.

The United States would agree to remove its missiles from Turkey if the Soviets agreed to remove its missiles from Cuba. By Oct. 28, the crisis was over.

The public did not find out about the U.S. concession until years later. All they knew was that the Soviets had backed down. As then-Secretary of State Dean Rusk famously said: “We were eyeball to eyeball, and the other guy just blinked.”

Nikita Krushchev was ousted from leadership a year later. A “hotline” was established between Washington and Moscow, designed to ease communications and prevent further confrontations, and arms control agreements were signed.

At the time of the crisis, said Ferraro, the United States and the Soviet Union had 30,000 nuclear warheads each.

Now they have 1,250.

At Apple's next big event, scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on Tuesday in San Jose, the tech giant is supposed to reveal a smaller, less expensive version of its iPad, according to many reports.

At Apple's next big event, scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on Tuesday in San Jose, the tech giant is supposed to reveal a smaller, less expensive version of its iPad, according to many reports.

The smaller iPad (dubbed the "iPad mini") is rumored to have a 7.85-inch screen, according to the tech website Gizmodo and The Wall Street Journal, but analysts' predictions for the mini's starting price aren't quite in sync.

USA Today has one analyst saying he expects it to go for $299 to $349. A Gizmodo writer says he thinks it will likely start out at $250. And Fortune writes that another analyst says "Apple is aiming squarely at an underserved price point between $250 and $350" with this new tablet.

Apple's Oct. 23 event may also be a tactical move since Microsoft is scheduled to go public with its Surface tablet Friday, and rumors suggest Google could announce a new tablet of its own later this month, according to The Washington Post.

But what else does Apple have in store at this event?

Customers could also see updates of the company's iMacs, Mac Minis and MacBooks, USA Today and Gizmodo report. USA Today writes:

New models of the iMac desktop machine, MacBook laptops and the Mac Mini component computer are likely, predicts Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu.

"There hasn't been a refresh in over a year," he says. Wu expects the new computers to have faster processors and stronger graphics.

What do you think the tech community will see at tomorrow's Apple event? Sound off in the comments and stick with MassLive.com Tuesday for continued coverage.

More coverage:

• PCMag.com: What to Expect at Apple's iPad Mini Event
• CNET: iPad Mini could hurt PC market, says analyst
• Forbes: Apple's iPad Mini - Who Wins, Who Loses?

Panthers owner Jerry Richardson says in release that it was an "extremely difficult decision."

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Panthers have fired general manager Marty Hurney following the team's 1-5 start this season.

Panthers owner Jerry Richardson says in release that it was an "extremely difficult decision" and that "Marty made every effort to bring success to the Panthers and took the team to a Super Bowl and two NFC championship games." He says "unfortunately, we have not enjoyed the success we hoped for in recent years."

Carolina has not made the playoffs since 2008.

Hurney, the Panthers' GM since 2002, took responsibility for the team's failures in the release saying, "I am responsible for everybody in coaching, the players, the scouts and everybody in football operations. After six weeks, we are 1-5 coming off a 6-10 season."

Ortiz, who is eligible for free agency, wants to end his career in Boston and reportedly is seeking a two-year contract worth between $25 and $30 million.

Talks between the Boston Red Sox and David Ortiz are about to intensify, and the designated hitter thinks a deal could be struck soon.

"We're talking," Ortiz told ESPNBoston.com. "We'll be talking again sometime this week and hopefully everything goes well. It seems like they want to move forward and now that they have the manager locked up, we're going to figure it out and hopefully it gets done.

"Hopefully we get it done by the end of the World Series."

Ortiz, who is eligible for free agency, wants to end his career in Boston and reportedly is seeking a two-year contract worth between $25 and $30 million. He made $14.575 million during the 2012 season, reaching a deal before the two sides were set to go to arbitration.

"I'm 36 and I know what I'm capable to do," Ortiz said. "I know what's fair and I know guys my age aren't going to get three-, four- or five-year deals anymore, so I want to play two more and if things go good I'll continue to play."

Ortiz, 36, hit .318 with 23 homers, 60 RBIs, a .415 on-base percentage and a .611 slugging percentage in 90 games this season. He played in just one game after suffering an Achilles’ tendon injury in mid-July but is expected to be 100 percent by spring training.

“David is someone that we feel strongly about bringing back,” Red Sox GM Ben Cherington told The Boston Globe at the end of the season. “We’re trying to figure out a way to do that. We hope that happens.”

Rosinski has been in the silk flower business for about 5 years at Foral Illusions.

David Rosinski is the owner of Floral Illusions in Chicopee. The Republican staff photo by Don Treeger

David Rosinski
Owner
Floral Illusions
20 Lambert Terrace
Chicopee

I’ve been in the silk flower business for about five years. When my mother died, a florist at Lillian’s Flower Shop in Springfield helped me with the funeral flowers and I found the business interesting, particularly silk flowers.

Business has definitely picked up, especially since I do a lot of bridal shows. What sets me apart is the quality of the flowers. Looking at them and even touching and smelling them you could still confuse them for real flowers. I have a variety of scents that can be added to the flowers to make them seem real.

The biggest benefit with silk flowers is that you get to keep them after you’ve spent all this money on flower arrangements. With real flowers, they might wilt even before an event is over. With silk flowers you can keep the bouquets and table arrangements for as long as you want.

I think I have done well because I’m one of the few silk florists in the area who has really high quality silk flowers available.

I am also able to provide many more options for people. I can get any flower at any time of year whereas with real flowers you might have to get them shipped in or they may not be available at all during certain months. With me you get a reasonable price and a huge variety of flowers to choose from.

With a difficult economy, people are looking for ways to save money and with silk flowers you will pay the same or less than you would with real flowers and you are still getting extremely high quality arrangements.

Schauer-Swift, of Maitland, Fla., was visiting relatives in town.

File photo

GRANBY — The pedestrian who was struck by a car and killed while walking on the side of School Street on Sunday afternoon has been identified as a 61-year-old woman from Florida.

Faith Schauer-Swift, who was visiting relatives in town, died at the scene despite emergency medical treatment administered by ambulance personnel, Police Sgt. Mark L. Smith said Monday. Police got the 911 call at about 3:36 p.m.

The operator of the car was Tessa V. Desjardins, 20, of 1120 Federal St. in Belchertown, police said. The accident is still under investigation and no charges have been filed.

Schauer-Swift lived in Maitland, Fla. Police said she was walking north on the shoulder of the southbound lane as Desjardins drove south. Desjardins remained at the scene of the accident.

School Street was closed to traffic for five hours after the accident. The Massachusetts State Police Analysis and Reconstruction Section and the Granby Fire Department helped the Granby Police.

The accident took place near 24 School St. The street is in the eastern part of town, near Forge Pond.

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Who has the most wins without raising a trophy?

Could Vanderbilt coach James Franklin be the first to bring an SEC title to Nashville? Associated Press

UMass travels to Vanderbilt this week, and the Commodores have never won a league title in their football-playing history.

That got me thinking, where would that rank Vanderbilt all-time among FBS schools that haven't won conference championships?

Well, now we know.

Before we get to the list, let me set down the ground rules to avoid any confusion.

• The school must currently be a member of an FBS conference (So, Notre Dame doesn't qualify.)
• Vacated titles count. Yeah, you cheated, but you still won. No revisionist history here.
• Titles won in conferences other than the one team is currently in count.
• Titles won in conferences that no longer exist count.
• Schools are ordered by total wins, not winning percentage.

OK, let's do this.

5. UAB

17th FBS season | 76-116, .396 W-L%

The Blazers are one of two young programs on this list, so I don't want to spend too much time throwing them under the bus. They joined the FBS in 1996, but played as independent for three seasons before joining Conference USA in 1999. Having Auburn and Alabama in your backyard can't help on the recruiting front, and it's shown, as UAB has just three winning seasons and one bowl appearance.

4. South Florida

13th FBS season | 90-61, .667 W-L%

I feel bad putting the Bulls on this list, since they have barely had a chance to get their feet wet compared to what we're going to see in these next three schools. Like UAB, South Florida played as an independent for three years before joining Conference USA. After just two years, however, the Bulls jumped to the Big East, where they strung together six straight bowl appearances, but never quite got to the top, finishing no higher than tied for third during that stretch.

3. Temple

66th FBS season | 278-367-26, .434 W-L %

To be fair to the Owls (since last time I wrote about Temple football futility I got destroyed in the comments section), though they've played football since 1930, they only joined a conference 21 years ago, when the Big East started its football league in 1991. That said, Temple never won more than three Big East games in a single season. After the Owls got the boot from the Big East, they spent two years on the streets as an indpendent before the MAC came along. Al Golden came in, and Temple came closer to a title than they ever had before — missing out on a berth in the MAC Championship by tiebreaker in 2009 — but still never got over the hump.

2. Rutgers

143rd FBS season | 451-425-22, .514 W-L%

Another team that didn't play in a conference until the Big East started in 1991, but the irony that Rutgers played in the first ever collegiate football game and has yet to win a championship is sort of sad. The Scarlet Knights came ever so close in 2006, when Greg Schiano led them to an 11-2 record, but they came up a game short in the standings, finishing at 6-2 in the league while Louisville was 7-1. Kyle Flood, though, has New Jersey's team poised to get off this list this season with a 7-0 start.

1. Vanderbilt

110th FBS season 505-555-43, .477 W-L%

The Commodores top the list, but can you really blame them, running the gantlet of the SEC since 1933 with their stringent academic standards, small stadium and smaller fan base? Vanderbilt has won seven games one time since 1976, and while James Franklin has the Commodores looking competitive (they beat my alma mater this season in Columbia...), an SEC title still seems like a pipe dream.

But hey, you never know. That's why they play the games.

A win's a win, but not all of them build confidence.

FOXBOROUGH – It was an odd scene. Tom Brady standing at the podium, fielding questions about his makeup and whether or not he felt like he silenced his critics by leading the Patriots to a comeback victory over the Jets Sunday night.

Most quarterbacks who have won three Super Bowls, played in two others, and led 35 comeback wins over the years don't have to field questions about their makeup. But that's how bizarre New England has been this season.

The offense is on pace to set a franchise record for net yards, but hasn't been able to execute consistently in clutch situations. And the defense is still suffering from the same problems that plagued it most of last season.

Expectations aren't being met. Things used to look simple. Now they don't.

"I wish it were that easy. And maybe there were times when it has looked that easy," Brady said during a sports radio interview Monday. "I think you appreciate it when it does work. You realize that preparation that you put into it – that it pays off. Maybe we've just spoiled some people in the meantime."

Maybe the expectations are unreasonable, but many of the issues have been birthed through mental gaffes.

Twice the Patriots had 10 men on the field during Sunday's 29-26 win, including on the Jets first touchdown. The other instance caused New England to call a timeout on a first-quarter punt.

New England also had to burn a timeout last week against Seattle after taking the field with the wrong number of men.

Those mental lapses are problematic and easily avoidable, but the problems are deeper than that. New England needs to find a way to close games if it hopes to get back to the Super Bowl. If not, the season will end in a cloud of smoke early in the playoffs.

This is why Brady's credentials were pulled Sunday night. If not for Rob Ninkovich forcing game-securing fumbles against Denver and the Jets, the Patriots could very well be 1-6. They blew it against Arizona. They blew it against Baltimore. And they blew it against Seattle.

They temporarily blew it against the Jets, too. Brady and his comrades got the ball back with a little more than five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, up three points, with a chance to put the game away.

Offensive pass interference, an incompletion, a four-yard run and another incompletion followed. The Jets tied the game and eventually took the lead. Then, and only then, did Brady wake up, completing 9 of 13 passes for 95 yards on the final two drives of the game. If Jets wide receiver Stephen Hill had caught a pass in the fourth quarter that would have secured victory, Brady's shot at redemption wouldn't have existed.

It was one of those wins that feel like a loss, a feeling that is starting to become all too familiar in the Gillette Stadium locker room.

"We can't really put ourselves in that situation," Brady said. "We all have to do a better job of executing our plays. There's no easy way out. It's not like there's a special magic play that you save for those situations. It's about doing your job and doing a better job of it."

What's the fix? The Patriots don't know. Getting Rob Gronkowski (hip) and Aaron Hernandez (ankle) fully healthy will help, but the team is still searching for an identity and say it's too soon for any definitive answers.

And they may be right. The season has nine weeks left. But after playing St. Louis in London this week, and going on a bye the next, the end will be closer than the beginning.

Massachusetts gas prices have dipped seven cents per gallon in the past week.

BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts gas prices have dipped seven cents per gallon in the past week.

AAA Southern New England reports Monday that self-serve, regular is selling for an average of $3.76 per gallon.

The current price is nine cents above the national average and 34 cents per gallon higher than at this time last year.

AAA found self-serve, regular selling as low as $3.63 per gallon and as high as to a high of $3.99.

The slugger is not signed for the 2013 season, but expects a new deal.

Associated Press file photoDavid Ortiz has 401 career home runs, and he expects to hit some more for the 2013 Red Sox and new manager John Farrell.

David Ortiz is talking like a man who has no doubt he will be part of the Boston Red Sox in 2013.

All that is needed now is for the aging slugger and his team to agree on how many years and how many millions of dollars he deserves for his services.

Done deal? Not yet, even though the Red Sox and Ortiz agree that the ideal result would be a signed contract that satisfies both parties.

Ortiz is looking for a two-year deal for between $25 million and $30 million. He is hopeful a contract can be signed by the end of the World Series, which opens Wednesday and is scheduled to end Nov. 1 at the latest.

Ortiz did not wait for such documentation Sunday, when he endorsed the hiring of John Farrell as Red Sox manager.

Farrell was hired over the weekend. He will be introduced Tuesday at a press conference in Boston.

"To be honest with you, there is something about John that they can see because they've been chasing John for the last couple of years," Ortiz told ESPNBoston.com.

"I love John. John is my main man. Even when he was the pitching coach.''

Tellingly, Ortiz also offered some cautionary words. Farrell is taking over the 2013 Red Sox, not the 2007 version.

"I don't know if it's fair for him to walk into this situation that we are in right now,'' Ortiz said.

"Hopefully, everything goes well and he can change things around.

"I know things didn't go the way he expected in Toronto and hopefully it works out for him here.

"We needed something different. I think you're going to notice a difference.''

The change in Ortiz' tone has been dramatic in recent months. It bears no resemblance to the bitterness he voiced frequently in the spring, when he lamented how the Red Sox gave him only a one-year contract for 2012.

The deal was for $14.575 million. Ortiz responded with 23 home runs, 60 RBIs and a .318 average in 90 games.

He was Boston's only All-Star. His batting average was the second best of his career, and 33 points higher than his career average.

But that is only part of the story. In mid-July, Ortiz suffered an Achilles strain while running the bases.

An injury that was expected to keep him out for two weeks cost him the last 2 1/2 months of the season.

The Red Sox must now decide if a superstar who turns 37 next month can be trusted to stay healthy long enough to warrant a contract of at least two years.

Unless they are willing to give Ortiz a multi-year deal as a reward for past contributions, or feel they are otherwise so strapped for home-run power and star potential that they have no choice, it is not an easy call.

Their strong preference is to sign him. The club has plenty of salary flexibility, the result of trading Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett and Carl Crawford to the Los Angeles Dodgers in August.

That has not gone unnoticed by Ortiz, who has often referred to his own contract as a measure of how much (or little) he is respected by his employers.

Ortiz is smart enough to know the list of teams willing to invest seriously in an aging, injured player who does not play defense is shrinking.

The New York Yankees have been mentioned as a suitor, but they may want to keep the DH spot open for their own aging, high-priced stars such as Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter.

It is possible, even likely, that Ortiz' best chance for a decent contract will be if he stays put. That is not lost on the Red Sox, but if they wield Big Papi's limited marketability against him too blatantly, they risk antagonizing a player they say they want back.

For now, Ortiz is guaranteeing he'll be healthy by spring training, and talking like the consummate company man.

Late in the season, he gave some couched support for Bobby Valentine by saying the manager's identity did not matter as much as people thought. In Ortiz' view, the burden to produce was on the players.

He was one of the players who reportedly skipped the July 26 meeting at which players complained to ownership about Valentine. Ortiz has also been openly concerned that unless the club becomes aggressive in the free agent market, it may not have the talent to regain its place as a contender.

Their aggressive may be affected, in part, by how much the Red Sox pay Ortiz.

Big Papi's comments about Farrell are the latest evidence the slugger will sign a new contract with the Red Sox.

"Something will get done. I feel good about it,'' Ortiz said.

For their part, the Sox have made an Ortiz signing a priority, now that the manager's seach is off the table.

All the two sides have to do now is do it.

Widespread criticism of the TARP bailout centered on several big bank CEOs bowing out of the business while taking huge bonuses, some of which were paid with tax money.

View full sizeThe latest mailer from the Massachusetts Republican Party doesn't tell the whole story when it comes to Elizabeth Warren and Sen. Scott Brown's positions on the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

The Massachusetts Republican Party's latest mailed flier attacking Democrat Elizabeth Warren in the Senate race twists the candidate's words when it comes to her position on the Troubled Asset Relief Program which provided nearly $700 billion to financial institutions following the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the overall financial crisis of 2008.

The flier mailed to some households in the Bay State says that Warren supported the TARP bailout while Republican Sen. Scott Brown opposed it, placing the words along with Warren's picture and a pile of cash. But a look at previous statements from the two candidates reveals their respective positions actually aren't that dissimilar.

In January, when Brown's campaign was directly taking aim at Warren over the TARP bailout, Warren said she was in favor of the government doing something, but not a fan of how it was done.

"I want to say two things about TARP. The first one is I think we were right in a financial crisis for the U.S. government to come in and say, ‘We are not going to stand by and let this economy plunge over the edge into a financial abyss and that there comes a time when we’re going to have to put the government’s faith behind our system.’ But I want to say this again. The mistake, from my point of view, was not the movement; it’s how we did it," Warren said at the time.

Brown, in a January 2010 debate with Attorney General Martha Coakley, seemed to state the same viewpoint, saying that "The TARP had a certain benefit to it. I would have targeted it a little bit more and not just a no strings attached situation and I would have allowed certainly to help, but not to pay out these huge bonuses that banks and others are getting."

Brown's campaign didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on the apparent discrepancy between Brown's previous statement and the mailer's depiction of his view.

The mailer is not the first time Warren has been strangely tied to being cozy with Wall Street. A year ago, before the People's Pledge dissuaded outside group's from interjecting in the race, Crossroads GPS, a conservative super PAC guided by GOP strategist Karl Rove, launched a TV ad accusing the one-time overseer of the TARP bailout of being an ally for the big banks.

Warren, in her role as special adviser to the Secretary of the Treasury for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau under President Barack Obama, provided oversight the implementation of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act, but did not have Congressional authority to decide how financial institutions disbursed the money.

Widespread criticism of the TARP bailout centered on several big bank CEOs bowing out of the business while taking huge bonuses, some of which were paid with tax money.

Obituaries from The Republican.

Theresa M. Perrier

WEST SUFFIELD, Conn. - Theresa Marie (Peloquin) Perrier, 84, of West Suffield, Conn., beloved wife of William A. Perrier, died peacefully Friday at home. She was born on July 5, 1928, in Chicopee Falls, Mass., daughter of the late Wilfred and Bertha (St. Cyr) Peloquin. She was a graduate of Chicopee High School. After getting married in 1950, she and her husband settled in Enfield and later West Suffield. She had worked painting the faces on dolls for a company in Holyoke in her younger years, and later went to work for Olympic Greeting Card Sales in Enfield for over 16 years. She was a master knitter, who enjoyed knitting baby clothing, sweaters and many other items. Together with her husband she enjoyed camping, especially on Cape Cod.

Obituaries from The Republican:

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  Crane, Isla Mae
  



• 
  Fedora, Paul D.
  



• 
  Harper, Korena B.
  



• 
  Hart, Rosalie A.
  



• 
  Hechler, Esther
  



• 
  Horn, Edward P.
  



• 
  Keyes Jr., Daniel M.
  



• 
  Laplante, Theresa C.
  



• 
  Levitz, Edward Robert
  



• 
  Mack, Ann S.
  



• 
  McGough, Athanasia V.
  



• 
  Milkiewicz, Edward
  



• 
  Motyl, Barbara Jean
  



• 
  Murray, Rachael A.
  



• 
  Paleologopoulos, Johanna
  



• 
  Perrier, Theresa Marie
  



• 
  Skala, Rita M.
  



• 
  Smith Jr., Robert W.
  

The suspect arrested Monday is the brother of a man charged last week with the robbery.

Jose Reyes-Oquendo Chicopee Police Department photo

CHICOPEE – Police have arrested a second suspect in last week’s robbery of Furnari Jewelers on Memorial Drive.

Jose Reyes-Oquendo, 22, of 175 West St., Holyoke was arrested at 9:30 a.m. on Monday and charged with two counts of armed robbery while masked and larceny of a firearm. The investigation is continuing so there is a possibility of other charges being added, Sgt. Jeff Nadeau said.

Reyes-Oquendo is the brother of Reynaldo Reyes, 27, who was arrested last week in connection with the robbery, Nadeau said.

Police obtained a warrant and arrested Reyes-Oquendo at 372 Maple St., which they had as an alternative address for the suspect., according to Nadeau. Reyes-Quendo is to be arraigned in District Court this afternoon, he said.

“It is still under investigation and there may be other people involved,” Nadeau said.

Reyes-Oquendo is being accused of entering the jewelry store at about 4 p.m. on Oct. 15 and threatening the owner, Anthony J. Furnari and his assistant .

Furnari, who keeps a .38-caliber handgun on his desk, fired multiple times and shot one suspect, police said. The two suspects then fought the owner for the gun and were able to wrestle it from him, which led to the charge of larceny of a firearm, Nadeau said.

Furnari suffered a broken nose, concussion, a fractured rib and multiple cuts and bruises, was treated at the hospital and released.

When the men fled, they left a handgun they were carrying behind, he said.

The man who is believed to have been shot during the incident, Reynaldo Reyes, 27, of 372 Maple St., checked into Baystate Medical Center several hours after the robbery with a gunshot wound to his abdomen. He has non life-threatening injuries and was charged with armed robbery while masked and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. Reyes has denied the charges, and bail was set at $500,000.

Police have not determined the total amount of jewelry that was taken. Furnari said the robbers took at least one velvet covered board filled with gold chains.

The three-story, 75,000 square foot building is expected to open by the end of next year.

Daniel P..Moen, president and CEO of Sisters of Providence Health System, speaks during the groundbreaking ceremony for the new medical office center at Mercy Medical Center campus in Springfield on Monday. The Republican | Dave Roback

SPRINGFIELD – Sisters of Providence Health System, joined by its partners and local officials, launched a $20 million construction project at Mercy Medical Center on Monday to build a $20 million, state-of-the-art outpatient medical office center.

The groundbreaking ceremony occurred in an outer parking lot at Carew and Chestnut streets, the site of the new medical building. The project is a joint venture with the Hampden County Physician Associates and Carew Chestnut Partners.

“This is all about partnerships,” said Daniel P. Moen, president and chief executive officer of Sisters of Providence Health System. “The bricks and mortar are important. What’s more important is the care that will be rendered in these facilities for decades to come, and all the patients that will see their lives improved by this facility and the team that works there.

A 75,000 square foot, three-story building will be constructed and is scheduled for opening by December of 2013. The project is privately funded.

U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, and Mayor Domenic J. Sarno were among officials attending the ceremony.

More details coming on MassLive and in The Republican.

NBA.com's annual survey of general managers was released Monday.

Given that one NBA general manager voted Kevin Durant the player who "makes the most of limited natural ability," NBA.com's GM survey clearly isn't an exact science.

But some valuable trends can be viewed through the prism of NBA GMs.

One that especially stood out when NBA.com released its annual survey results Monday:

Opposing general managers believe Danny Ainge had a terrific offseason.

Jason Terry and Courtney Lee were ranked second and third, respectively, among most underrated player acquisitions, and Jared Sullinger received the most votes for the rookie most likely to be a "sleeper" success.

Ainge entered the offseason needing to make many decisions, including whether he should blow up the Celtics' nucleus. He decided to keep Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo and surrounded them with a younger, more versatile, better-scoring supporting cast.

Looking at the roster Ainge built, he obviously deserves plenty of credit. But doing so with limited cap space -- he acquired Leandro Barbosa for the veteran's minimum and Lee in exchange for a second-round draft pick plus three players not expected to be in the rotation -- could put Ainge in the running for Executive of the Year if the Celtics live up to expectations.

Other Celtics ties to the GM survey can be found at NBA.com.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held Monday for a new Medical Office Center at the Mercy Medical Center on Carew Street.

The 4 suspects, not UMass students, are being arraigned in Eastern Hampshire District Court in Belchertown.

Update, 2:55 p.m.: A visibly upset Judge Mary Hurley has refused any bail agreements for the four suspects.

“All the years on the bench I have never heard such an egregious set of facts. I will not approve of any agreement,” said Hurley, went on to give the lawyers a short period of time to work things out.

Hurley also refused defense lawyer Terrance Dunphy’s request for a continuance on matter of bail for his client Justin King.

BELCHERTOWN — Arraignments are ongoing Monday afternoon for four Pittsfield teens accused of raping an 18-year-old female University of Massachusetts student in her on-campus dormitory earlier this month.

Documents filed in Eastern Hampshire District Court identify the four suspects as Adam Liccardi, 18; Caleb Womack, 17; Emmanuel Toffee Bile, 18; and Justin A. King, 18.

Liccardi was charged with four counts of rape, and the three others were each charged with three counts of rape, according to court documents.

A UMass press release states the four are not UMass students. A law enforcement official confirmed that the men were arrested Friday in Pittsfield.

The attack is alleged to have occurred in the victim’s residence hall room in the early morning hours of Oct. 13.

Assistant Northwestern District Attorney Jennifer Suhl told Judge Mary Hurley that one of the four suspects knew the victim a little bit and that they came to visit her on campus at about 12:30 a.m.

Both the suspects and the victim consumed a large amount of vodka inside the victim’s dorm room. The victim cried during the attack and used the word “no,” Suhl said.

Suhl, who is the chief of the Northwestern District Attorney’s Domestic Violence Sexual Assault unit, said the victim told investigators that she did not want the four to come to the campus. She said somebody else let them in to her resident hall, however, and the victim was not in her room when they got there.

When the victim returned to her room, however, the victim said it was OK for them to be there, Suhl said.

Suhl said the suspects left the victim’s room at about 4:30 a.m.

Both Suhl and lawyers for the defendants told Hurley that they agree upon a recommendation that all four suspects be held in lieu of $2,500 cash bail or $25,000 surety.

Hurley said, however, she wanted to further review the arrest reports before setting bail. The court will reconvene at 2:15 p.m.

Horvath, speaking at an early afternoon press conference at the UMass police station, said investigators are still attempting to determine who signed the suspects into the residence hall. It was not the victim or the victim’s roommate, he said.

The incident, Horvath said, was not reported to police until 11 p.m. on Oct. 14. Horvath attributed the university’s lag in reporting that the alleged sexual assault had occurred out of consideration to the needs of the victim.

A campus-wide emergency alert was not issued because police determined that nobody else was in danger, he said.

Subbaswamy and Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan also spoke at the press conference.

In a statement, UMass-Amherst Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy said, “Maintaining a safe learning and living community is of the upmost importance to our campus. We will not tolerate this violent behavior. The victim and her family are receiving support from our campus resources. I know that I speak on behalf of our university community when I say that they are all in our thoughts during this difficult time.”

UMass-Amherst Police Chief John Horvath said that upon notification of the crime, his department began an immediate investigation and determined that the general campus community was not in danger. The Pittsfield men were arrested by a team made up of members of the UMass-Amherst Police, Pittsfield Police and the Massachusetts State Police Detectives Unit assigned to the Berkshire County District Attorney’s Office.

Horvath said, “The safety of our students is paramount. Following the incident, we communicated with security personnel and residence hall staff to reiterate current security procedures. In addition, while campus security measures have generally proved effective in the past, the university will conduct a comprehensive review of security in our residence halls. The campus is providing support to the victim and her family through our well-established resources on campus. In addition, we will redouble our efforts to educate all members of our community about protecting their safety.”

This is a developing story and will be updated as our reporting continues

Reporters Conor Berry, Fred Contrada, George Graham and Jim Russell contributed to this story

Tornado debris cleanup grants for Brimfield and Sturbridge are scheduled to be announced.

This is an updated version of a story posted at 1:03 this afternoon.

Massachusetts Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Richard Sullivan, at the podium, announced a $ 141,690 grant to assist West Springfield with tornado debris cleanup and for the demolition of an abandoned building. The press conference was held Tuesday at the corner of Main Street and Memorial Ave. Also on hand for the announcement behind him, left to right, Mayor Gregory C. Neffinger, State Rep. Michael J. Finn, and State Sen, James T. Welch. Mark M.Muray Previous Page 1 of 900 Next Page The Republican | Mark M. Murray

WILBRAHAM - State Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Richard K. SullivanTuesday announced $141,690 in grants to help West Springfield with tornado cleanup efforts and $286,110 to help Wilbraham with tornado debris cleanup efforts.

On Wednesday Sullivan will join state and local officials to announce grants for Brimfield and Sturbridge to assist with tornado debris cleanup.

West Springfield’s grant also will help with the demolition of an abandoned building.

The announcement in West Springfield was made at the intersection of Main Street and Memorial Avenue in the city’s Merrick section. That neighborhood, which was hard hit by the June 1, 2011 tornado, suffered two of the three Western Massachusetts fatalities caused by the storm.

The grant to West Springfield, which will also be used to repair sidewalks and curbs and replace street signs and clean storm drains is part of $4 million Gov. Deval Patrick announced on the one-year anniversary of the tornado to help affected communities.

West Springfield also will receive $50,000 from the state Department of Conservation and Recreation to replace trees that were lost as well as another $5,000 from that department to replace Fire Department equipment used in the tornado.

In Wilbraham the $286,110 grant will be used to target the most severely damaged public areas in the town. The town’s Department of Public Works will manage logging activities that include cleaning out fallen and dead trees, debris and dangerous hanging limbs in approximately 350 acres of land.

Some of the areas being cleared of fallen and dead trees include Tinkham Road by Minnechaug Regional High School, Main Street and Echo Hill Road.

“When one drives through Wilbraham, the tornado’s destructive path is still very visible - a sore spot for the community," Selectmen Chairman Robert Boilard said.

He said the additional funding will allow the town to continue its efforts to restore the environment impact by the tornado and to ensure the community’s safety from damaged trees and potential forest fires.

Throughout the past year many organizations and groups helped with Wilbraham’s recovery efforts. People’s Savings Bank, the Wilbraham Women’s Club, the Wilbraham Garden Club and The Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts all made monetary donations. The Wilbraham’s Rotary Club donated nearly 50 trees to be planted in the community. The organization, Trees Bring Hope, headed by Meri Blanchard, planted 90 trees and is planning to plant another 126 trees.

Wilbraham also received $50,000 from the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation for tree planting from the state’s Urban Forestry Challenge Grant. Also the late Richard Swain, former tree warden, submitted a grant application to the town’s Community Preservation Committee, which awarded $45,100 to the town for tree planting.

The commander in chief was commanding throughout

The presidential debates are not a best-of-three series.

If they were, if the winner of the almost-ended campaign were selected by performance in the debates, President Barack Obama would have entered the series as the odds-on favorite. Any incumbent president would be in such a position, and Obama, always an eloquent speaker, was doubly so. But he slipped quickly to underdog after the initial match-up, during which challenger Mitt Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, clearly got the better of a sleepwalking Obama.

But the president clawed his way back into contention in Game 2, where he bested Romney. Finally, with Monday night’s gritty performance, the president won the rubber match.

But the presidential debates are not like a baseball playoff series.

They are instead a sort of precursor to the main event, Election Day, the ultimate contest. The voting on Nov. 6 is the only game that counts.

That said, in the third and final presidential debate, with the focus on foreign policy, the president was in charge from the first, with challenger Mitt Romney playing defense much of the time. Romney wasn’t bad, exactly, but he played from behind for the entire evening, never managing to mount a real threat.

The commander in chief was commanding throughout.

The question, of course, as it has been from the beginning, is how much the scoring of the debates will ultimately matter on Election Day. If the challenger needs to pass a minimum test in the debates – showing himself as up to the job he is seeking – then Romney did that, and then some, in the first and most important debate. How much his backsliding in the following two debates did to reverse that notion is, well, debatable.

With the election just 13 days away, the answer will soon enough become clear.