Obama challenges Romney on Mideast

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama, defending his foreign policy record at a time of anti-American rage in the Muslim world, fired back at suggestions from Republican Mitt Romney that the president has been weak with allies and enemies alike.

In an interview airing the night before Obama meets with other world leaders at the United Nations, the president said, “If Gov. Romney is suggesting that we should start another war, he should say so.”

It was Obama’s most direct rebuttal yet to persistent skepticism by his White House rival on his handling of an unraveling situation in the Middle East. Romney has charged the U.S. stance has been marred by miscalculations, mixed messages and appeasement.

The foreign policy arguments come as both candidates sharpen their strategy just six weeks ahead of Election Day. Speaking to reporters on a flight to Colorado on Sunday night, Romney acknowledged he was slipping behind Obama in several swing states and said he would spend more time with voters in the coming weeks.

“I think the fundraising season is probably a little quieter going forward,” he said following a weekend largely devoted to raising money in California.

Facing Republican fears that his campaign is moving in the wrong direction, Romney huddled earlier in the day with his top advisers, preparing for next month’s debates and crafting a more aggressive strategy.

“I don’t pay a lot of attention to the day-to-day polls. They change a great deal,” Romney said. “And I know that in the coming six weeks they’re very unlikely to stay where they are today.”

Romney and Obama both discussed foreign policy in interviews broadcast Sunday on CBS’ “60 Minutes.”

Romney, who has criticized Obama’s response to unrest in Syria and anti-American protests across the Muslim world, broadened his reproach to include Israel. He said Obama’s failure to schedule a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the annual U.N. gathering this week “sends a message throughout the Middle East that somehow we distance ourselves from our friends.”

The White House has said scheduling precluded a meeting between the two leaders, who won’t be in New York at the same time. But Obama pushed back on the notion that he feels pressure from Netanyahu, dismissing as noise the Israeli leader’s calls for the U.S. to lay out a “red line” that Iran’s nuclear program must not cross to avoid American military intervention.

“When it comes to our national security decisions, any pressure that I feel is simply to do what’s right for the American people,” Obama said. “And I am going to block out any noise that’s out there. “

In a wide-ranging interview conducted the day after U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens was killed in an attack, Obama defended his foreign policy successes, noting he’d followed through on a commitment to end the war in Iraq and had nabbed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.

Romney, in an interview conducted last week, sought to deflect attention from his running mate, Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, over their differences in Medicare policy: “I’m the guy running for president, not him.”

While reaffirming his commitment to lowering all income tax rates by 20 percent, Romney expressed no unease about his refusal to offer specifics, such as which loopholes and deductions he’d eliminate to pay for the cuts.

“The devil’s in the details. The angel is in the policy, which is creating more jobs,” he said, adding that he doesn’t want to see overall government revenue reduced.