Obama and Romney turn up the temperature in their second debate

 Second presidential debate: full Video: The second presidential debate between President Obama and Mitt Romney were in a town hall format at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y.

President Obama and Mitt Romney engaged Tuesday in one of the most intensive clashes in a televised presidential election debate with the tension between them growing into the disruption, personal air disaster and accusations of lying as they parried over the last four years under Mr. Obama and what the next four would look like under a President Romney.

Follow with this interactive replay of the second debate, fact-checking, and graphics to take a closer look at attacks and allegations that President Obama and Mitt Romney.

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President Obama and Mitt Romney, his Republican challenger, answered questions from the audience in town hall-style debate mode generated by Candy Crowley, right, of CNN. More photos»

Compete for a shrinking sliver of the uncertain voters, many of them women, their engagements, at times borders against physical as they circle each other or bounded from their seats, while the other talked, sometimes more intention to argue than to deal with the issues of jobs, taxes, energy, immigration and a host of other issues.

Mr. Obama, criticised by his own party for a lackluster debate performance two weeks ago, this time pushing an attack that allowed him to often dictate the terms of the debate. But an unbowed Mr. Romney was there to meet him each time, and seemed enthusiastic about the opportunity to challenge a sitting President.

Mr. Obama assertive posture may well have stopped the clamor of concern from supporters, who had weighed on his campaign of three weeks and one more debate to go before the elections.

The President's broadsides started with a criticism of Mr. Romney for his opposition to his administration in its first reply automobile bailout — "Governor Romney said, let us go bankrupt Detroit" — and ended more than 90 minutes later with an attack on Mr. Romney taped secretly comments on "47 percent" of Americans who he said do not take responsibility for their own lives.

"When he said behind closed doors that 47 percent of the country consider themselves victims who refuses personal responsibility — think about who he was talking about," said the President at the end of the debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y.

It was as if another highly charged President had taken the scene rather than the reticent, seeming disconnected candidate who turned out to meet Mr. Romney in their first debate two weeks ago.

Mr. Romney remained acutely focused on Mr. Obamas record of it all, said that the President had failed to deliver what he promised in his 2008 campaign and arguing repeatedly and vigorously, "we just can't afford four more years like the last four years."

He credited Mr. Obama for being "high as a speaker." and describes his vision But then he brought down the ultimate hammer in a challenge to an incumbent: "it is wonderful, unless we have a record to look at. And that record shows he just could not cut the deficit, putting in place reforms of Medicare and Social Security to maintain them, to get us the rising income we need. "

Two took pains to fashion their arguments against female voters, with the debate seems at times directed completely on them. Mr. Obama cited Mr. Romney pledge to cut government funding for planned parenthood at least four times Mr. Romney repeatedly mentioned, under Mr. Obama: "there are three and a half million more women living in poverty today than when the President took office. We need to live that way. "

And Mr. Romney tried to broaden its appeal to women, to soften its tone on reproductive issues, says: "every woman in the United States should have access to contraception."

Stressing his record of diversity as Governor based on his own recruitment, he said, "I brought us across the binders full of women."

It is a bit of conventional wisdom that uncertain voters seeking comity in their leaders. There was none of this Tuesday.

At times back and was personal in small ways. The effective tax rate to 14 percent, to Mr. Romney paid personally have already invoked Mr. Obama said Mr. Romney investments in Chinese companies. Then asked Mr. Romney, if Mr. Obama had looked at its own pension for its investments.

"I don't look at my pension," said Mr. Obama. "It is not as big as yours."

But at other times, the verbal sparring took on a deeper, emotional resonance, as when Mr. Romney suggested that the Administration was deliberately misleading in his changing explanations for the attack on the u.s. mission in Benghazi, Libya, which resulted in the American Ambassador, j. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans who died.

"The suggestion that anyone in my team, about the secretary of state, our UN Ambassador, would someone on my team play politics or mislead when we lost four of our own, Governor, is offensive," Mr. Obama said, standing and looking intently at his opponent. "It is not what we do. It is not what I am doing as President. "

Mr. Obama noted that he had gone to the Rose Garden on the day after the attack saying, "it was an act of terrorism".

Mr. Romney argued that Mr. Obama had not said that until 14 days later to ask the moderator, Candy Crowley of CNN, to interject, "he did actually, sir." Mr. Obama interjected with a hint of anger, "you can say that a little louder, Candy?" (She said Mr. Romney broader point about changing explanations were "right.")

Vitriol that moment through the campaign for months, in tv ads and dueling speeches played on exceptionally close area for much of the 90-minute debate.

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Obama and Romney focuses on efforts to Woo women

With some polls offers sporadic evidence that Mr. Romney wins support among women in the last weeks of the campaign, the President seized every opportunity under their face-off Hofstra University on Long Iceland to argue that Mr. Romney, the Republican candidate, would eliminate funding for women's health services, block access to contraception, against equal pay and undermine the economic recovery for families where women are the breadwinners.

"This is not just a women's issue," said Mr. Obama during an Exchange on equal pay for women in the workplace. "This is a problem with the family. It is a middle class issues. And that is why we have to fight for it. "

Mr. Romney tried to defend his policy as better for women, to deny Mr. Obamas accusations about contraception and insist that his record as Massachusetts Governor is one of integration and equality. Even as the debate concluded, released Mr. Romney's campaign, a television ad stresses that he is not opposed to contraception and believe abortion should be legal in some cases.

"Turns out, Romney not against contraception," says a woman in the advertisement. "In fact, he believes abortion should be allowed in cases of rape, incest or to save a mother's life."

But Mr. Romney rambling description of his efforts to recruit women into his administration as Governor of Massachusetts was an instant Internet sensation when he said he had "all the binders full of women", he considered jobs in his Cabinet and agencies.

' I said, ' well, gosh, we can find some women who also are qualified? ' "Mr. Romney said during the debate."And so we took a concerted effort to go out and find women who had backgrounds that could have qualified to become members of our Cabinet.

Comment "binders full" became a hit on Twitter, quickly becomes a "meme" generated a mocking Tumblr page and prompts a democratic group to purchase site www.bindersfulofwomen.com. The group, American Bridge 21st Century, used it to list actions from Mr. Romney group said was the women's interest.

Appeals to women came during a debate in which Mr. Obama and Mr. Romney, who also tried to capture their bases. Mr. Obama, in particular, supplied an aggressive performance that advisers hope will give his core supporters fresh proof that the President is ready to fight for a second term.

Mr. Romney pressed his case for tax cuts, a favorite of conservatives, and remained critical of the administration account for the deadly attack on the American Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, an issue that Republicans believe gives them an advantage. And Mr. Romney repeated his campaign mantra that the country cannot afford another four years like the ones Mr. Obama has led.

But there was no mistaking the focus of candidates on women. That focus has increased dramatically in the last weeks of the campaign, as the superior race has tightened nationally and in many key battleground states. Mr. Obama has long maintained a double-digit lead among women in most studies, helping him to overcome a deficit among men.

A Gallup poll this week suggested that Mr. Obamas advantage had evaporated, but other studies — and Mr. Obama's top strategists — disputed this finding.

As the debate on Tuesday made it clear that neither campaign takes aid of women. Mr. Obama, in particular, seemed eager to make the case for his policies — and criticizing Mr. Romney — after having been criticised by many high-profile women; not in the debate two weeks ago in Denver.

The President went his way several times to mention Mr. Romney pledge to eliminate funding for planned parenthood. Mr. Obama argued that not only would affect women's health services, but would be a financial burden for families in hard times.

"Millions of women all across the country, which is dependent on the planned parenthood not only contraceptive care," said Mr. Obama. "They count it for mammograms for cervical cancer screenings. There is a pocketbook issue for women and families all over the country. "

On the issue of contraception, said Mr. Obama, that Mr. Romney would allow employers to decide whether an option to provide contraception coverage in their plans for insurance, cut off by the President's health care law. Mr. Romney refused to.

"I do not believe that bureaucrats in Washington should tell someone they can use contraception or not, and I do not believe that employers should tell someone, whether they could have contraceptive care or not," said Mr. Romney, using the time from another question to try to rebut President. "Every woman in the United States should have access to contraception."

Mr. Romney sought the interests of women connected to the broader questions about the economy sluggish recovery, suggesting repeatedly that he could do better for struggling families — and particularly women — if he is in the White House.

"There are three and a half million more women living in poverty today than when the President took office," said Mr. Romney. "We need to live that way. We can get this economy going again. "

But it was a matter of equal pay for women, called the most memorable exchanges of the debate. Mr. Obama focused on passage of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act — the first bill he signed as President — making it easier for women to sue if they suspect they will not be paid fairly.

"So we laid there," said Mr. Obama. "And it is an example of the kind of advocacy, we need because women are increasingly the breadwinners in the family."

When it was Mr. Romney trip, he described his efforts after being elected as Governor in order to ensure that women were well represented in its management. He said the early recommendations was mainly men, and that he pushed harder to search for qualified women to serve.

That led to "binders full" comment and a description of his willingness to be flexible on hours that his Chief of staff — a woman named Beth Myers, who is now a top adviser to his campaign — worked while children.

"She said I cannot be here until 7 or 8 at night. I need to be able to come home at 5, so I can be there — to make dinner for my children and be with them when they come home from school, "Mr. Romney explained."So we said fine, let us have a flexible schedule so you can have the hours that work for you. "

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