As Americans mark the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks today,
President Obama and Mitt Romney will pause from slinging mud on the
airwaves by temporarily pulling their largely negative campaign
commercials off TV.
But politics -- and who best can handle the
job as commander in chief -- won't be too far away in the minds of some
voters as Obama and his Republican rival mark the 11th anniversary of
the terrorist attacks.
Obama will hold a moment of silence at the
White House and attend a memorial service at the Pentagon honoring 9/11
victims. Romney will be in Reno this afternoon, speaking to nearly
4,000 National Guard officers.
Romney issued a statement about the
9/11 anniversary this morning, honoring the victims and their families
and saluting U.S. troops.
"On this most somber day, those who
would attack us should know that we are united, one nation under God, in
our determination to stop them and to stand tall for peace and freedom
at home and across the world," he said.
While Americans prefer Romney to handle the economy and deficit, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll taken before the Republican and Democratic conventions found Obama has the advantage on handling foreign affairs.
That
edge is probably not unexpected for an incumbent. Yet Obama and his
allies have sought to remind voters that the president gave the order to
take down Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks.
Democrats also have stressed recently that Romney and his running mate,
Paul Ryan, have little foreign policy experience.
In his speech
last week to the American Legion, Romney criticized Obama for automatic
spending cuts to the defense budget that were part of the deal last year
between the White House and Congress to raise the nation's debt limit.
Ryan defended the GOP ticket's readiness Sunday on ABC's
This Week
and noted that Obama's foreign policy record has weak spots. naming the
president's dealings with Iran and its nuclear ambitions as one of
those areas.
USA Today