Election 2012

Mitt Romney has sought to distinguish his views on foreign policy and the world from positions held by President Obama. So far, it hasn't gained him much traction.

The Republican presidential nominee has insisted that Obama has not done enough to promote America's values and interests, instead "apologizing" and appeasing the nation's enemies.

Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan used an appearance at an annual gathering of his party's social conservatives Friday to pointedly criticize President Obama's foreign policy record and to testify to his own Catholic faith and opposition to abortion.

"We're all in this together," said Ryan, a representative from Wisconsin, echoing a theme of Obama's convention speech. "It has a nice ring."

In an election that's supposed to be about the economy, tragic deaths overseas push foreign policy onto the political stage in the race between Mitt Romney and President Obama. While Romney seems to have lost the initial battle, questions remain about the administration's Middle East goals.

Join NPR's Ron Elving and Ken Rudin for the latest "It's All Politics" roundup.

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We're continuing our comprehensive election coverage as voting nears. Each day our campaign correspondents, like Scott Horsley and Ari Shapiro, bring you the voices of the campaign in a way that few others do - a chance to listen to the candidates and voters, listen to people think.

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There is a new interpretation of President Obama's bounce in the polls following the Republican and Democratic conventions. While everybody focused on the pageantry and the speeches, the Obama campaign was pounding Republican Mitt Romney with an onslaught of TV ads. NPR's Peter Overby reports.

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It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Steve Inskeep. Renee Montagne is in St. Louis today visiting our member station KWMU.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney campaigns outside Cleveland, Ohio today. He's in a state that's widely considered essential for him to win - a state where recent surveys show him trailing President Obama by single digits.