Earlier today in Boca Raton, Fla., supporters of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and President Obama gathered at Lynn University, where tonight's debate is being held.
Earlier today in Boca Raton, Fla., supporters of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and President Obama gathered at Lynn University, where tonight's debate is being held.
Erik S. Lesser /EPA /LANDOVPresident Obama and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney meet this evening for the last of their three debates before the Nov. 6 election. With polls still showing a tight race and just two weeks to go before Election Day, both men are looking at tonight's faceoff as one of their last, best chances to woo voters.
Through the evening, we'll watch for ALERTs: "A Line Everybody [will] Remember Tomorrow."
They will be at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla., for a discussion that's supposed to be focused on foreign policy. Bob Schieffer of CBS News is the moderator. Things are due to get started at 9 p.m. ET.
As we've done in the two previous debates and during the one faceoff between Vice President Biden and Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan, we'll be live blogging before, during and after tonight's debate. Hit your refresh button to be sure you're seeing our latest additions. Most NPR stations and NPR.org will be streaming the audio. Our colleague Frank James will be hosting a live chat.
Update at 7:45 p.m. ET. What's The Format?
As we said earlier, the focus tonight is foreign policy. Schieffer plans six, 15-minute segments. According to the Commission on Presidential Debates, they will be on:
â€" "America's role in the world."
â€" "Our longest war â€" Afghanistan and Pakistan."
â€" "Red lines â€" Israel and Iran."
â€" Two segments on "the changing Middle East and the new face of terrorism."
â€" "The rise of China and tomorrow's world."
The candidates will be seated at a table with Schieffer. Each segment will begin with a question from the newsman, followed by two-minute (it's hoped) responses from each contender. Then Schieffer will try to facilitate a discussion.
Thanks to two coin tosses, Romney will get the first question and response, and will make the last closing statement.
Update at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Story So Far:
The first Obama-Romney debate, on Oct. 3 at the University of Denver, shook up the campaign. Romney had what polls show was a strong performance, while Obama was judged to have "lost" the faceoff. The next week, Vice President Biden and Republican vice presidential nominee Rep. Paul Ryan had their one and only debate. Biden was aggressive. Ryan, polls indicate, held his own.
Last week, during their town hall-style debate at Hofstra University on New York's Long Island, Obama was much more aggressive than he had been in Denver â€" challenging Romney's statements throughout the evening. But the Republican nominee wasn't shy about pushing back. "At times," as we wrote last Tuesday night, "the two came close enough to touch each other â€" though they did not â€" as they invaded each other's personal space and fired off attack lines."
Throughout the debates, as we've reported, both tickets' candidates have stretched some truths, according to non-partisan fact checkers.
