2012 Presidential Election, Mitt Romney | featured news

"When I got onto the stage, I met this very spirited fellow who claimed to be Mitt Romney," Obama said. "But it couldn't have been Mitt Romney, because the real Mitt Romney has been running around the country for the last year promising $5 trillion in tax cuts that favor the wealthy. The fellow on stage last night said he didn't know anything about that."

President Barack Obama's lackluster performance in the first U.S. election debate provoked uneasiness in European capitals on Thursday, where hopes are mostly, if unofficially, pinned on his securing a second term.

Wednesday night's debate showcased a Mitt Romney resisting his worst debating weaknesses and playing solidly to his strengths. Barack Obama? This time, he couldn't overcome a weakness he has shown before, a tendency to distance himself from the audience, and this kept him from connecting and making a good showing.

President Obama and Mitt Romney were a huge sensation on Twitter Wednesday night, generating a record 10.3 million tweets over the course of their 90-minute debate. It was the most tweeted event in political history, Twitter says, and exceeded the activity on the social media site during the political conventions. The high point, however, didn't belong to either candidate vying for the White House.

Following is a transcript of Wednesday evening's presidential debate in Denver.

Who knew Sesame Street's Big Bird would play a role in tonight's presidential debate in Denver? About 30 minutes into the verbal contest between President Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney, the former governor explained that he would cut what he considers non-essential items in the budget, including cuts to PBS, which employs debate moderator Jim Lehrer.

In a showdown at close quarters, President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney sparred aggressively in their first campaign debate Wednesday night over taxes, deficits and strong steps needed to create jobs in a sputtering national economy.

President Barack Obama and Republican rival Mitt Romney spun one-sided stories in their first presidential debate, not necessarily bogus, but not the whole truth.

A comment by Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney earlier this week regarding how he would overhaul the U.S. tax code set off a back-and-forth between the Romney and Obama campaigns on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON – Wednesday night’s presidential debate will feature two candidates with very different strategic imperatives talking, to some extent, to different audiences.