“Horses and bayonets” was the catch phrase of Monday night’s presidential debate between President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney, leading Obama’s statement to be the most tweeted comment on Twitter.
Obama gave Romney little quarter over the GOP rival’s repeated criticism that the U.S. Navy is too small and has fewer ships than it did in 1916.
“Well, governor, we also have fewer horses and bayonets,” Obama said, painting Romney as out of touch and arguing the nature of America’s military has changed. “We have these things called ‘aircraft carriers,’ and planes land on them.”
Obama continued his manifest military history: “We have these ships that go underwater, nuclear submarines.”
“And so, the question is not a game of Battleship, where we’re counting ships,” Obama said with a nod to the classic board game. “It’s, ‘What are our capabilities?’”
Romney blasted Obama for cutting military funding by $1 trillion, saying the Navy needs more ships, the Air Force needs newer and more planes, and the country can no longer afford to two conflicts.
The exchange came after the candidates veered so far off topic that moderator Bob Schieffer said: “Let’s get back to foreign policy.”
Watch the video below:
