Tonight’s the night when President Obama and Mitt Romney debate one final time before the Nov. 6 election. The topic will be foreign affairs.

But my friend Cliff and I had a discussion this morning at the Amarillo Town Club about a topic we agree could be woven into the debate: women.

“I would bet you 10 bucks that the topic of women will come up tonight in the foreign policy debate,” Cliff said. I didn’t take the bet, because the moment I began thinking about it, the more plausible the notion became.

We came up with this context:

The discussion will turn quickly to Afghanistan and our ongoing war against the Taliban, who ruled Afghanistan with the heaviest of iron fists for many years before we threw them out of power right after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

I can hear the president say something like this: “And let me assure my fellow Americans that our brave men … and women … are fighting for the rights of Afghan women, who for so many years were subjugated as second- or even third-class citizens in their own country. Did I mention that our women are in the battlefield as well?”

Why the interest in women at this debate? The president is seeking to rebuild the narrowing gender gap between him and Romney. Women favor Obama, but by a smaller margin now than they were, say, a month ago. So here’s the president’s chance to score points at home while making an important statement about our nation’s role in the world. Granted, it would take some rhetorical deftness, but of the two, Obama is the more verbally nimble.

Democrats and Republicans are competing vigorously for the women’s vote. You can take this to the bank as well: Both sides are looking for any advantage they can find with that critical voting bloc.

I think my pal Cliff is on to something.