New York: U.S. President Barack Obama and Republican presidential
candidate Mitt Romney faced off aggressively in their second televised debate on
Tuesday night in New York.
Bouncing back after being pilloried by his political rival
Romney during first presidential debate in Denver, replying one audience
question concerned the September attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi,
Libya, Democrats nominee Obama slammed Mitt Romney and his corporate past for
the same.
With his poll numbers fading after a listless performance in
the first debate, President Obama was far more energetic and aggressive in the
second debate.
He and Governor
Romney tangled in a town hall-style forum at Hofstra University, near New York
City, where the two candidates fielded questions from an audience of undecided
voters.
The president took ultimate responsibility for the security
lapses that allowed the attack to happen, but he also criticized Romney for his
response to the incident.
Governor Romney said the administration's failures in
Benghazi were symbolic of an overall failed Middle East policy. And, he said it was Obama who played politics
in the aftermath of the attack.
On the economy, the president defended his record on the
economy and promised to continue working to speed the recovery.
“We have created five million jobs, gone from 800,000 jobs a
month being lost, and we are making progress.
We saved an auto industry that was on the brink of collapse," he
said.
Governor Romney said
Obama's economic record has been poor and would not improve in a second term.
“I think you know better.
I think you know that these last four years have not been so good, as
the president just described, and that you do not feel like you are confident
that the next four years are going to be much better either. I can tell you that if you elect President
Obama, you know what you are going to get.
You are going to get a repeat of the last four years," he said.
Romney said the
president was not doing enough to confront China on allegations of cheating on
trade issues. He said he would label
China a currency manipulator from his first day in office. The president defended his record on China,
saying he has won numerous cases against Beijing at the World Trade Organisation.
The two candidates
also squared off on immigration, women's issues, gun control and education.
Several polls taken in the moments after the debate gave the
president a slight advantage.
A wide majority of Americans believed Romney won the first
debate, on October Third, and the Republican challenger has been gaining in
public opinion polls since then. Most
recent polls show the two candidates almost even.
Both candidates will
campaign in swing states Wednesday. Romney goes to Virginia and the president
will visit Iowa and Ohio.
Obama and Governor
Romney will meet in one final debate, on foreign policy issues, next Monday in
Florida.