Finally, a question about Afghanistan. Romney made a major gaffe saying that we need to transition control of the country to “the Taliban government.” (Perhaps this might be truer than he intended it to be.) He recovered by correcting himself and thanking the questioner, a Navy veteran, for his service. Pawlenty also showed some presence by offering an extended thank-you to the questioner and all veterans.

Ron Paul, of course, reiterated that he is not a fan of the Afghanistan occupation. Meanwhile, Gingrich gave the most detailed, wonky take on the issue of Libya and other engagements.

Santorum used the occasion of a question about the necessity of military bases all around the world to bash Obama for “turning his back on allies” all over.

The format didn’t work for this segment. Much more time from each candidate was needed, to go into depth about the wars.