I set a test for both men tonight in the debate: Which of them would state clearly the reasons in foreign policy why they should be the next president and repeat them to the point where they entered the mind of voters. By that test Romney is winning the contest very easily. Obama seems to be mesmerized by the need to avenge his defeat in the first debate. He wants to demonstrate his superiority over the challenger. But it’s not working. Romney the problem-solver keeps coming back in the most agreeable way. Also he explains things — which is attractive to the audience. He’s not just blowing smoke. What finally won it for Romney (I almost wrote Reagan) was his manual demonstration of why China doesn’t want a trade war — which Obama responded to in a hostile, unpersuasive and thoroughly political way.