Round 2

Mostly obviously, Romney's perfomance continued to undermine the Democratic strategy of casting him as a dangerous extremist. As in the first debate, the former Massachusetts governor presented himself as reasonable and focused on the audience's concerns, and particularly the insecurity brought on by a sluggish economy. But unlike the first debate, this was no clear-cut Romney win. In fact, after the first 30 minutes, Obama so lackluster in the first debate delivered a forceful, presidential performance that sometimes dominated the stage. The apex came in response to a question about why requests for added security at the American mission had been denied before the deaths of four diplomats, an issue Romney has been trying to capitalize on for weeks. Without directly answering the security-denial question, Obama forcefully said the responsibility was his. He then attacked Romney for suggesting that he as president would play politics with American lives at stake, angrily calling it offensive and leaving Romney with no effective response.In the end, each candidate achieved what he needed to do, with early reaction suggesting either a split decision or an Obama win. Political activists and national journalists on Twitter, who almost universally saw a Romney win in the first debate, were divided this time, as was wider commentary.  One thing that was different fron the last debate is the layout. In this debate there wasn't two podiums, instead there were only two chairs so Obama and Romney were free to stand up. This layout was a way to foucus on Obama's and Romneys body language to see how they react from behind a podium or a desk. The fact the the layout has changed from the first debate brings more attention to Obama and Romney and this attention brought more viewers. Instant polls by CBS and CNN both found an Obama victory by 7 points.Monday's debate is the last major chance for Romney and Obama to be seen by millions of voters before Election Day. More than 60 million viewers watched each of their previous two encounters.If recent history is any guide, it is anybody's guess as to how the third face-to-face session will play out.