Makkah Police arrest two for promoting fraudulent Hajj campaign on social media    Saudi Chief of General Staff attends EFES 2024 multinational exercise in Turkiye    Saudi anti-corruption authority investigates 446 individuals, detains 112 in May    First direct flight from Dammam to Najaf arrives    ZATCA thwarts attempt to smuggle 6.5 million Captagon pills hidden in plus-size tires    Saudi Arabia provides $129 billion in aid to 169 countries since 1996    Saudi Arabia supports urgent Gaza aid and ceasefire in talks with US    Biden outlines three-phase proposal for Gaza ceasefire and hostage release    Al Hilal clinches King Cup in intense penalty shootout and dramatic final    Crown Prince awards King's Cup to Al Hilal    Yassine Bounou named Man of the Match after leading Al Hilal to King's Cup victory    Cristiano Ronaldo breaks down in tears after Al Nassr's cup final loss against Al Hilal    Saudi Arabia reports 7.3% rise in total revenue for 2023    Aramco acquires 40% stake in Gas & Oil Pakistan    ROSHN revamps Waterfront walkway in Jeddah    Transport minister opens 2nd Ring Road costing SR660 million in Jeddah    Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale concludes with massive attendance    Man opens ice cream shop in seaside telephone box    Nepali climber sets record for fastest ascent of Mount Everest by a woman    World's rarest album to go on display in Australia    JK Rowling in 'arrest me' challenge over hate crime law    Trump's Bible endorsement raises concern in Christian religious circles    Hollywood icon Will Smith shares his profound admiration for Holy Qur'an    We have celebrated Founding Day for three years - but it has been with us for 300    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Crunch time for Obama, Romney ahead of debate
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 03 - 10 - 2012

DENVER — President Barack Obama and his White House rival Mitt Romney hunkered down Tuesday to prepare for the high-stakes televised debate upon which their political futures depend.
With the day's public schedules wiped clean and the protagonists behind closed — Obama at a resort in the Nevada desert and the Republican nominee in Denver, Colorado — their running mates filled the campaign void.
With barely five weeks to go before the November 6 vote, both Obama and Romney were preparing intensely for perhaps the most high-profile moment of the 2012 campaign: a prime-time, face-to-face debate watched by tens of millions.
Each made only brief appearances on Monday night. Romney addressed a rally shortly after arriving in Colorado, while the president delivered freshly baked pizzas to one of his Nevada campaign offices.
“Nevada's going to be close. It's going to be close all across the country," said Obama, who hugged volunteers and called others on the phone to talk about honing his debate technique.
“It's very nice. Although basically they're keeping me indoors all the time. It's a drag. They're making me do my homework," Obama said. “This is my last campaign so we want to leave it all on the table and work as hard as we can."
Romney, a multimillionaire investor and former governor of Massachusetts, on Monday mocked the punditry surrounding the debates and how people want to know “who's going to score the punches."
“In my view it's not so much winning and losing (but) an opportunity for each of us to describe the pathway forward for America that we would choose."
Former New Hampshire governor John Sununu, a Romney supporter who often plays the role of attack dog on the campaign trail, also dismissed the point-scoring that tends to bubble up during the debates.
“I'm not a great believer in zingers, unless they're fact-based," Sununu told Fox News on Tuesday.
“I think the key to a debate is to be precise in what you say, precise in your responses, and maintain a tone that the public thinks is not demeaning to the office."
With Obama and Romney laying low, their running mates seized the spotlight. Vice President Joe Biden hit the trail in the battleground of North Carolina, where he was to deliver remarks in Charlotte and then Asheville.
Romney's running mate Paul Ryan kicked off day two of a bus tour through Iowa, where he outlined the importance of the election.
A Washington Post-ABC News poll out Monday gave Obama a slimmer 49 to 47 percent lead, but, tellingly, likely voters in swing states sided with the president by 52 to 41 percent.
The stakes are high for both candidates, but the debates may be the last chance for Romney to make a dramatic impression on undecided voters and perhaps melt the narrative that has built up around him as a multimillionaire plutocrat who is out of touch with everyday Americans.
Romney has been practicing for the debates for weeks. He has plenty of experience under his belt, having taken the debate stage about 20 times with Republican rivals during the primaries, but a one-on-one face-off with the president is a more intense affair.
Ohio Senator Rob Portman, who is playing Obama in practice sessions, is in Colorado with the Republican nominee, while Romney stand-in Senator John Kerry, the Massachusetts Democrat, is in Nevada with Obama.
Pennsylvania judge halts ID law
A judge Tuesday blocked Pennsylvania from requiring voters to show identification in the election, a decision that could influence turnout in a top electoral prize in the presidential race.
Commonwealth Court Judge Robert Simpson issued a partial preliminary injunction that halts the requirement that people show either a state driver's license, government employee ID or a state non-driver ID card in order to vote on Nov. 6. — Agencies


Clic here to read the story from its source.