Candidates can’t forget that international tensions come to roost in the U.S., too

The presidential debate Tuesday devolved into a political food fight, where assaulting speech became a verbal pie in the public’s face. Lost in the noise was any calm substance or serious questions about foreign policy.

The 21st century debate now produces more heat than light. These exercises allow candidates to target a sliver of Americans in a handful of states who somehow remain undecided. More important, they aim to excite and motivate the majority of already decided voters to go mark their ballots.

Debates are not ideological jousts about America’s role in the world. They are mostly focused on domestic challenges. The new twist in 2020? An incumbent president unbecomingly used the platform to launch wild attacks on his opponent instead of telling, for example, Russia’s Vladimir Putin to stuff it.

Foreign policy is increasingly important to everyday life in the United States. Most Americans understandably are more concerned right now with fighting an invisible virus, getting their kids to school and holding on to jobs. But what happens in Wuhan does not stay in Wuhan. Foreign policy matters.

Americans should, however, take a breath — through their masks — and look through their fogged-up glasses at the various hot spots…