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Has President Obama ever gone on an apology tour in the Middle East during which he criticized America while speaking publicly in various nations?

Mitt Romney has long said Mr. Obama did just that. This has been one of the foundational assertions of the Romney campaign: The Massachusetts ex-governor even titled his campaign autobiography 鈥淣o Apology: The Case for American Greatness.鈥� We bring this up now because Mr. Romney reiterated the charge Monday night during the third and final presidential debate. Does the record really support such a claim?

First, let鈥檚 look at Romney鈥檚 full reference and Obama鈥檚 response.

When answering a question from moderator Bob Schieffer about the possibility of talks with Iran over its nuclear program, Romney shifted to a general attack on Obama鈥檚 Middle East positions.

Near the beginning of his administration, 鈥渢he president began what I鈥檝e called an apology tour of going to various nations in the Middle East and criticizing America,鈥� Romney said. 鈥淚 think they looked at that and saw weakness.鈥�

Obama, who was combative throughout the debate, didn鈥檛 just absorb this hit. He said the notion of him apologizing just isn鈥檛 true.

鈥淭his has been probably the biggest whopper that鈥檚 been told during the course of this campaign,鈥� Obama said. 鈥淎nd every fact-checker and every reporter who鈥檚 looked at it, Governor, has said this is not true.鈥�

But Romney did not back down. He then gave a slightly fuller explanation, saying, 鈥淢r. President, the reason I call it an apology tour is because you went to the Middle East and you flew to Egypt and to Saudi Arabia and to ... Turkey and Iraq.... And then in those nations and on Arabic TV, you said that America has been dismissive and derisive. You said that on occasion America has dictated to other nations. Mr. President, America has not dictated to other nations. We have freed other nations from dictators.鈥�

OK, there are lots of strands to untangle here. We鈥檒l start with the first one: Romney has made a subtle change in his 鈥渁pology tour鈥� reference here. Earlier in the campaign, he simply said Obama went on such a tour. Now he鈥檚 changed that and said he (Romney) calls it that. That鈥檚 true: Romney does label it that. For what it鈥檚 worth.

Perhaps Romney worded it that way because Obama鈥檚 right that many mainstream-media fact-checkers judge the general apology-tour claim false. (Hold on GOP, we know you鈥檝e got a response to them. We鈥檒l get there in a second.) That鈥檚 the conclusion of both and Washington Post fact-checker , for instance.

Now, on to 鈥渄ismissive,鈥� 鈥渄erisive,鈥� and 鈥渄ictat[ing] to.鈥�

Obama did indeed tour Middle East nations in 2009. But the 鈥渄ismissive and derisive鈥� reference actually comes from a speech he made in Strasbourg, France, in April 2009.

Here鈥檚 the full reference of Obama鈥檚 words:

鈥淚n America, there鈥檚 a failure to appreciate Europe鈥檚 leading role in the world,鈥� Obama said. 鈥淚nstead of celebrating your dynamic union and seeking to partner with you to meet common challenges, there have been times when America has shown arrogance and been dismissive, even derisive.

鈥淏ut in Europe, there is an anti-Americanism that is at once casual but can also be insidious,鈥� Obama continued. 鈥淚nstead of recognizing the good that America so often does in the world, there have been times where Europeans choose to blame America for much of what鈥檚 bad.鈥�

Is this an apology? He didn鈥檛 say anything near 鈥渁pologize.鈥� America has indeed shown arrogance at times in international affairs; so has pretty much every other developed nation. In any case, Obama is using that not to self-flagellate but to set up a parallel construction and soften his point that Europe indulges in easy anti-Americanism.

Obama鈥檚 鈥渄ictate鈥� reference didn鈥檛 come from his Middle East tour, either. He in a speech in April 2009, at the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago.

Again, here鈥檚 the full reference:

鈥淚 know that promises of partnership have gone unfulfilled in the past, and that trust has to be earned over time,鈥� Obama said. 鈥淲hile the United States has done much to promote peace and prosperity in the hemisphere, we have at times been disengaged, and at times we sought to dictate our terms. But I pledge to you that we seek an equal partnership.鈥�

Again, there鈥檚 a parallel construction: Obama is using 鈥渄ictate鈥� to balance his offer of working together, going ahead. Plus, America has dictated terms in Latin America, or tried to. One could start with the US occupation of the Dominican Republic in 1965 and move on from there.

Republicans aren鈥檛 themselves apologizing for Romney鈥檚 use of 鈥渁pology tour,鈥� however. Far from it.

鈥淭he fact-checkers are wrong .... The variance from reality is so great on this one that you realize how potent is the information bubble in which the president and mainstream media reside,鈥� on Tuesday in her Right Turn blog at The Washington Post.

Ms. Rubin judges Obama鈥檚 criticisms of George W. Bush鈥檚 actions in the war on terror to be implicit apologies, for instance. She also says that even if a nation needs to apologize for past conduct, such an apology shouldn鈥檛 be given on foreign soil.