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Egyptian protesters march during a demonstration against a film mocking Islam in the coastal city of Alexandria on September 14, 2012. The low-budget movie called 'Innocence of Muslims', which ridicules the Prophet Mohammed and portrays Muslims as immoral and gratuitously violent, has triggered protests in several countries.

A handful of Republican lawmakers want to cut off aid to Libya and Egypt, according to The Washington Post. While others say these fiery protests are not representative of all Arabs and perhaps not their leadership either. The murder of diplomats, embassy attacks and continued demonstrations present a real foreign policy challenge to President Barack Obama, as well as his presidential challenger Mitt Romney.

How should the U.S. respond to the violence in the Middle East this week? And what impact could it have on the upcoming election?

Guests:

Michael Rubin, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute; former Pentagon official; former political advisor to the Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad (2003-2004)

Brian Katulis, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, studies United States foreign policy in the Middle East and South Asia.