Obama's "horses and bayonets" debate zinger goes viral

Yet another new meme was born after the final presidential debate, inspired by President Obama's retort to Mitt Romney: "You mentioned that we have fewer ships than we did in 1916. Well, we also have fewer horses and bayonets, because the nature of our military’s changed." Here are a few of our favorite "horses and bayonets" images from across the Web.

‘Horses and bayonets’: The best Obama lines from the third presidential debate

by Joy-Ann Reid | October 23, 2012 at 1:53 PM

“…I think Governor Romney maybe hasn’t spent enough time looking at how our military works. You mentioned the Navy, for example, and that we have fewer ships than we did in 1916. Well, Governor, we also have fewer horses and bayonets, because the nature of our military’s changed. We have these things called aircraft carriers, where planes land on them. We have these ships that go underwater, nuclear submarines.

And so the question is not a game of Battleship, where we’re counting ships. It’s what are our capabilities.” (Photo by Michael Reynolds-Pool/Getty Images)

“If we’re going to talk about trips that we’ve taken — when I was a candidate for office, first trip I took was to visit our troops. And when I went to Israel as a candidate, I didn’t take donors. I didn’t attend fundraisers. I went to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust museum there, to remind myself the nature of evil and why our bond with Israel will be unbreakable.” (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

“Governor, when it comes to our foreign policy, you seem to want to import the foreign policies of the 1980s, just like the social policies of the 1950s and the economic policies of the 1920s.” (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

“Governor Romney, I’m glad that you recognize that Al Qaida is a threat, because a few months ago when you were asked what’s the biggest geopolitical threat facing America, you said Russia, not Al Qaida; you said Russia, in the 1980s, they’re now calling to ask for their foreign policy back because, you know, the Cold War’s been over for 20 years.” (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

(Photo by Michael Reynolds-Pool/Getty Images)
President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney squared off for their final debate of the 2012 campaign on Monday, and Obama came armed with several lines that got social media (and traditional media) talking (“horses and bayonets” trended on Twitter for hours during and after he debate.) Here are Obama’s five best “zingers.”

President Obama blasted Mitt Romney at the foreign policy debate, saying he had given no correct answers on national security.
"Gov. Romney, I'm glad you recognize al-Qaeda is a threat, because a few months ago when you were asked what is the biggest geopolitical group facing America, you said Russia — not al-Qaeda. And the 1980's are now calling to ask for their foreign policy back — because the Cold War has been over for 20 years. But Governor, when it comes to our foreign policy, you seem to want to import the foreign policies of the 1980's, just like the social policy of the 1950's, and the economic policies of the 1920's.