President Barack Obama and Republican presidential nominee Mitt
Romney face-off at the first presidential debate Wednesday - an
important moment for both candidates, but especially critical
for Romney.   That is exactly what Romney needs.  After failing
to gain traction from the GOP convention, Romney hurled himself
into a turbulent month marked by campaign blunders and
contradictory messages, leaving his campaign in constant
"reboot" mode. Now, as he moves into the final weeks of the
campaign, his path to the White House is narrowing as he faces
anemic poll numbers in key swing states, such as Florida and
Ohio - a state no Republican has ever lost and won the
presidency.  Despite Obama's mediocre job approval numbers and
his vulnerability on the economy and jobs - consistently cited
by voters as the most important election issue - Romney's
economic message hasn't resonated with a majority of voters,
including those in the middle class. Recent polls show the
former head of Bain Capital has lost his edge on wh