Obama strikes back

This 16 October debate, labelled a "town hall" in a nod to one of those hallowed traditions of American political life and history, had already been designated by the "punditocracy", the blogosphere and every political consultant in the country as a decisive moment for the chances of the two candidates. And this was before a single word had even been spoken at Hofstra University.

In the proverbial nutshell, the fundamental tasks for the two candidates were simple: Obama needed to re-establish the momentum of his campaign for re-election and reach out and connect with undecided voters; Romney needed to consolidate his recent polling gains following his impressive performance in their first encounter. Within an hour of the conclusion of the event, CNN polling of registered voters had it tilting Obama's way, 46 percent to 39 percent.