Obama and Romney clash in second debate bout

Obama - widely perceived to have lost their first encounter - gave a strong showing New York on the economy, tax and foreign policy, while the former Massachusetts governor kept up pressure on Obama over broken promises and a record of failure.

Obama set the tone early on by contrasting his own bailout of the US car industry with Romney's position that auto-makers should have been allowed to go bankrupt, and accused Romney of inconsistency, while claiming that his challenger could only offer a "one-point plan... to make sure the folks at the top play by a different set of rules".

Romney meanwhile attacked Obama's economic record, blaming him for unemployment of 20 million Americans and bloated federal deficits, insisting the country could not afford another four years with Obama at the helm.

The pair also bickered over last month's attack on the US Libya consulate that left four Americans dead with Romney suggesting the Obama administration may have attempted to mislead Americans over whether it was a terrorist attack.

But the president said it was "offensive" to suggest that he had played politics on such a grave issue and countered that it was the Romney who had tried to turn a national tragedy to his advantage by releasing a partisan press release about the deadly assault.

Both candidates made repeated and impassioned pitches to America's middle class, with Obama saying he had cut taxes for middle class families and small businesses over the last four years but adding that if America was serious about reducing the deficit, the wealthy would have to pay a little bit more.

Obama also countered Romney's assurances that the Republican would represent "100% of Americans" by bringing up Romney's secretly recorded remarks at a fundraiser in May.

"When he said behind closed doors that 47% of the country considers themselves victims who refuse personal responsibility - think about who he was talking about," the president said.

Obama insisted that voters had heard no specifics on Romney's "sketchy" tax plan apart from eliminating Sesame Street's Big Bird and cutting funding for Planned Parenthood, a family planning organisation Republicans say promotes abortion.

"Of course it adds up," Romney said, defending his tax plan, citing his experience balancing budgets in business, while running the 2002 Olympics and as governor of Massachusetts.

Obama listed achievements over the last four years: tax cuts for the middle class; ending the war in Iraq, killing Osama Bin Laden; helping the auto industry, as well as healthcare reform.

However Romney insisted the last four years had not been as rosy and said Obama had made pledges to deliver unemployment of 5.4%, an immigration plan, and to cut in half the deficit, but had met none of them.

The third and final presidential debate is scheduled for 22 October in Boca Raton, Florida.