|
In the US presidential race, a strong debate performance by Republican candidate Mitt Romney may breathe new life into his campaign to unseat President Barack Obama. Any shift in polling numbers for the two candidates may take several days to materialize. During a contentious 90-minute encounter in Denver, Colorado a crisp-speaking and seemingly well-rehearsed Mitt Romney repeatedly attacked the president's record, while Obama was often on the defensive. The two men traded verbal jabs on federal taxes, job creation, and retiree health-care funding. "I just do not know how the president could have come into office facing 23 million people out of work, rising unemployment, an economic crisis at the kitchen table, and spend his energy and passion for two years fighting for Obamacare instead of fighting for jobs for the American people," Romney said. The president did fight back, but, according to many observers, he seemed to lack the same zeal people observed from the debates four years ago. "Over the last 30 months, we have seen five million jobs in the private sector created," said Obama. Political analyst Charlie Cook says President Obama's performance fell short of the public's expectations, while Mitt Romney's exceeded them. "By any standard, he [Romney] did very, very well. Obama seemed to be like a team sitting on a lead," Cook noted. | 
