Schieffer: Candidates' positions "fairly close" on foreign policy

(CBS News) Host of the final presidential debate Monday night, CBS News' Bob Schiefer, said on "CBS This Morning" that the debate gave viewers "a better sense" of their governing philosophy and platforms.

"My objective going into this, Norah, was to come away feeling that people got a better understanding of who these people were and what they're all about. And i kind of felt like that that may have happened last night," Schieffer said to "CBS This Morning co-host Norah O'Donnell. "The elbows were sharp. But I thought this was worthy of a debate about the presidency. And it also gives me a greater appreciation, Norah, of just how hard these problems are....What's on the plate of the next president, whoever that's going to be, are very, very difficult things, and as you saw last night, on many of these issues, they're fairly close on it."

Bob Schieffer on moderating the final debate

Schieffer said the candidates' pivot from foreign policy to economic policy showed that they understand voters are most concerned about the economy.

"[T]he fact that both really did want to talk about economic issues, I kind of let them go on that. They got into education at one point; they went on about that for awhile. Well, you know, there are a lot of people like Stan McChrystal, used to be the commander of our forces in Afghanistan, who will tell you that they think that education is the basis and the beginning of our national security. And so I found that interesting that they both wanted to talk about that. ... But I found that quite interesting, and to me, Charlie, indicative of what they think the campaign ought to be about. This is their campaign. And I thought people ought to have an opportunity to see what they thought it should be about," Schieffer explained to co-host Charlie Rose.