In a split-screen race for
the presidency, Republican Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama were
on their best campaign behavior in public Tuesday, all the while
slashing away at each other in paid television ads.
In separate
appearances in New York, they swapped criticism on foreign policy. But
they did it politely, without mentioning each other by name.
Romney
found fault with Obama's approach to education, but did so after paying
a public compliment to Arne Duncan, who has the administration's
Cabinet portfolio for the subject.
There was an outbreak of
self-deprecating humor from Romney, as well, as he received a glowing
introduction from former President Bill Clinton before speaking to the
annual Clinton Global Initiative.
"If there's one thing we've
learned this election season, it's that a few words from Bill Clinton
can do any man a lot of good," joked the Republican candidate for the
White House, referring to the former' president's strong speech on
Obama's behalf at the Democratic National Convention earlier this month.
"All I got to do now is wait a few days for that bounce to happen," Romney quipped.
Joking
or not, it was as close as the Republican challenger has come to
publicly acknowledging recent polls showing Obama moving ahead in
several battleground states and gaining ground in national surveys.
Cut to the television ads, and the political reality both campaigns are trying to create for voters
in battleground states.
Of
the five commercials the Obama campaign says it is airing most
frequently, one accuses Romney and running mate Paul Ryan of backing a
plan for Medicare that would raise out-of-pocket costs for seniors.
Another says the Republican challenger favors tax cuts for millionaires
that could be paid for by reducing existing tax breaks for education
expenses.
A third says Obama, not Romney, has pushed back
against China's unfair trade policies. A fourth asserts that part of
Romney's personal fortune is invested in China and says he's never stood
up to the country. "All he's done is send them our jobs," it says.
The Romney campaign listed six ads currently airing, four of which criticize Obama.
"Dear
Daughter. Welcome to America," says the announcer in a commercial that
shows a young baby. "Your share of Obama's debt is over $50,000."
Two
spots feature coal miners accusing the administration of pursuing
policies that go after their industry. "Obama said he was going to
bankrupt any new power plants that opened up ... He's keeping his
promise," says a miner shown in one. "I've got two young grandsons. I'm
scared for their futures, let alone mine."
A fourth accuses Obama of failing to "stand up to China" and asserts, "His policies cost us 2 million jobs."
In
the world not made up of television commercials, one report released
during the day showed consumer confidence climbing to the highest level
since February. A second report said home prices increased in July as
sales rose and foreclosures fell.
Taken together, that
amounted to encouraging news for the president, given that the
slow-growing economy and 8.1 percent national unemployment are the
public's top issues in the race for the White House.
Whatever
the economic news itself, voters increasingly say the country is
heading in the right direction. In an Associated Press-GfK poll taken at
mid-month, 48 percent of registered voters said they expect the economy
to improve in the next 12 months, compared to only 41 percent who said
so in a survey in August.
Additionally, 41 percent of
registered voters said in this month's poll that the nation is heading
in the right direction, up from 34 percent saying the same in August.
Obama's handling of the economy, still tepid, is better than it
has been. The latest AP-GfK poll finds 48 percent of registered voters
approve of the president's handling of the economy, while 49 percent
disapprove. In June, 56 percent disapproved and 43 percent approved.
Romney spoke first during the day, speaking to Clinton's organization.
He
said the death of U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens in Libya two weeks ago
was caused by a terrorist attack, something Obama has refrained from
saying.
"Many Americans are troubled by the developments in
the Middle East," Romney said. "Syria has witnessed the killings of tens
of thousands of people. The president of Egypt is a member of the
Muslim Brotherhood. ... And Iran is moving toward nuclear weapons
capability.
"We feel that we are at the mercy of events, rather than shaping events," he added.
Although
Romney did not overtly criticize Obama's foreign policy in the speech,
as he had on Monday, his words took on a sharper edge when he suggested
to CNN during an interview that the White House had misled the American
people by not characterizing the violence in Libya as a terrorist
attack.
"The White House's failure to acknowledge that the
assassination of our ambassador was a terrorist attack, a terrorist
event, suggests that they are trying to paper over the seriousness of
what's happening in the Middle East," Romney said.
In his New
York speech, Romney said that if he is elected, he will create
"prosperity pacts" in the Middle East, private-public partnerships
designed to remove barriers to free markets around the region. He said
developing countries would receive U.S. assistance "focused on
developing the institutions of liberty, the rule of law and property
rights."
Obama, in a speech later in the morning to the U.N.
General Assembly, said the recent assaults on U.S. citizens in Libya
"were attacks on America" and called on world leaders to join in
confronting the root causes of the rage across the Muslim world.
But
in a slap at Romney, Obama said "let us remember that this is a season
of progress" in the Arab World, where autocratic leaders have been
deposed in several countries.
In another jab, he said, "Among
Israelis and Palestinians, the future must not belong to those who turn
their backs on peace."
Obama didn't mention it, but Romney
says on a videotape that recently came to light that "the Palestinians
have no interest whatsoever in establishing peace. The pathway to peace
is almost unthinkable to accomplish."
