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| Obama and Romney meet for final debate as race remains tight - Reuters Posted: 22 Oct 2012 08:57 AM PDT  U.S. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney (L) and U.S. President Barack Obama speak directly to each other during the second U.S. presidential debate in Hempstead, New York, October 16, 2012. Credit: Reuters/Mike Segar BOCA RATON, Florida | (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney face off in front of the cameras for a final time on Monday in what could be their last, best chance to win over the small sliver of voters who have yet to make up their minds. With 15 days to go until the November 6 election, the two candidates turn to foreign policy for their final debate at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida. The 90-minute event starts at 9 p.m. (0100 GMT on Tuesday) and is moderated by Bob Schieffer of CBS. The stakes are high as polls show the race to be a virtual dead heat. Though few voters cite the war in Afghanistan or other national-security topics as a top concern, Obama can point to a number of successes on his watch, from the end of the Iraq war to the killing of Osama bin Laden. Romney will use concerns about a nuclear Iran and turmoil in Libya to try to amplify concerns about Obama's leadership at home and abroad. "Many voters are ready to fire Obama if they see Romney as an acceptable alternative," said David Yepsen, director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Center at Southern Illinois University. "Foreign policy has not been a big driver of this campaign but I think Romney could add some icing to his cake if people say, 'Hey, this guy is on top of world affairs.'" Presidential debates have not always been consequential, but this year they have had an impact. Romney's strong performance in the first debate in Denver on October 3 helped him recover from a series of stumbles and wiped out Obama's advantage in opinion polls. Obama fared better in their second encounter on October 16 but that has not helped him regain the lead. An NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey on Sunday put the two tied at 47 percent among likely voters. The Obama campaign is now playing defense as it tries to limit Romney's gains in several of the battleground states that will decide the election. Romney could have a hard time winning the White House if he does not carry Ohio, and a new Quinnipiac/CBS poll shows Obama leading by 5 percentage points there. LAST-CHANCE DEBATE Monday's debate is the last major chance for Romney and Obama to be seen by millions of voters before Election Day. More than 60 million viewers watched each of their previous two encounters, but the television audience this time could be smaller as the debate will air at the same time as high-profile baseball and football games. Though much of the exchange will likely focus on the Middle East, other topics such as trade with China and the debt crisis in Europe could allow the candidates to circle back to the economic concerns that are topmost on voters' minds. Romney accuses Obama of presiding over a weakening in U.S. influence abroad, but he has to assure voters he is a credible alternative to the president on the world stage. The former Massachusetts governor's July trip to London, Jerusalem and Poland was marked by missteps. The two men at their second debate last week clashed bitterly over Libya, a preview of what is to come on Monday evening. They argued over Obama's handling of an attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, in which Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were killed. The Obama administration first labeled the incident a spontaneous reaction to a video made in the United States that lampooned the Prophet Mohammad. Later, it said it was a terrorist assault on the 11th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks. This shifting account, and the fact that Obama went on a campaign trip the day after the attack, has given Romney ammunition to use at Monday's debate. "The statements were either misleading by intention or they were misleading by accident. Either way though he's got to get to the bottom of this," Romney adviser Dan Senor said on NBC's "Today" show. Obama and his allies charge that Romney exploited the Benghazi attack for political points while officials were still accounting for the wellbeing of U.S. diplomats. Regarding foreign policy overall, Obama's allies accuse Romney of relying on generalities and platitudes. "It is astonishing that Romney has run for president for six years and never once bothered to put forward a plan to end the war in Afghanistan, for example, or to formulate a policy to go after al Qaeda," Senator John Kerry, the Democrats' 2004 presidential nominee, wrote in a memo released by the Obama campaign on Monday. Romney has promised to tighten the screws over Iran's nuclear program and accused Obama of "leading from behind" as Syria's civil war expands. He has also faulted Obama for setting up a politically timed exit from the unpopular Afghanistan war, and accused him of failing to support Israel, an important ally in the Middle East. The Republican is likely to bring up a New York Times report that the United States and Iran agreed in principle to hold bilateral negotiations to halt what Washington and its allies say is a plan by the Islamic Republic to develop nuclear weapons. The debate will be divided into six segments: America's role in the world; the war in Afghanistan; Israel and Iran; the changing Middle East; terrorism; and China's rise. (Additional reporting by Matt Spetalnick and Susan Heavey; Writing by Andy Sullivan; Editing by Karey Wutkowski and Jackie Frank) |
| Lance Armstrong's epic downfall - CNN Posted: 22 Oct 2012 09:08 AM PDT STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Editor's note: Share your Lance Armstrong stories, videos and photos with the world on CNN iReport. (CNN) -- His reputation is in tatters, the cycling victories that made him a legend are wiped away, and the sponsors that gave him enormous wealth have fled faster than a downhill race to a finish line. But that's only the beginning. Lance Armstrong is also being asked to pay back millions of dollars. And the term "Armstrong era" is now apparently a moniker for widespread cheating. The epic downfall of cycling's star, once an idolized icon of millions around the globe, stands out in the history of professional sports. His latest and biggest plunge came Monday when the International Cycling Union stripped the 41-year-old of his seven Tour de France titles. "Lance Armstrong has no place in cycling," said the union's president, Pat McQuaid, announcing that Armstrong is also banned from the sport.   Cyclist Lance Armstrong has been stripped of his seven Tour de France wins and banned from the tournament for life, the International Cycling Union announced Monday, October 22. Pictured, Armstrong addresses participants at The Livestrong Challenge Ride on Sunday. He stepped down as chairman of his Livestrong cancer charity on Wednesday, October 17.  Armstrong leads his teammates during the final stage of the 1999 Tour de France.  Armstrong, 17, competes in the Jeep Triathlon Grand Prix in 1988. He became a professional triathlete at age 16 and joined the U.S. National Cycling Team two years later.  In 1995, Armstrong wins the 18th stage of the Tour de France. He finished 36th overall and finished the race for the first time that year.  Armstrong rides for charity in May 1998 at the Ikon Ride for the Roses to benefit the Lance Armstrong Foundation. He established the foundation to benefit cancer research after being diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1996. After treatment, he was declared cancer-free in February 1997.  Armstrong takes his honor lap on the Champs-Élysées in Paris after winning the Tour de France for the first time in 1999.  After winning the 2000 Tour de France, Armstrong holds his son Luke on his shoulders.  Armstrong rides during the 18th stage of the 2001 Tour de France. He won the tour that year for the third consecutive time.  Armstrong celebrates winning the 10th stage of the Tour de France in 2001.  After winning the 2001 Tour de France, Armstrong presents President George W. Bush with a U.S. Postal Service yellow jersey and a replica of the bike he used to win the race.  Armstrong celebrates on the podium after winning the Tour de France by 61 seconds in 2003. It was his fifth consecutive win.  Jay Leno interviews Armstrong on "The Tonight Show" in 2003.  After his six consecutive Tour de France win in 2004, Armstrong attends a celebration in his honor in front of the Texas State Capitol in Austin.  Armstrong arrives at the 2005 American Music Awards in Los Angeles with his then-fiancee Sheryl Crow. The couple never made it down the aisle, splitting up the following year.  Armstrong holds up a paper displaying the number seven at the start of the Tour de France in 2005. He went on to win his seventh consecutive victory.  As a cancer survivor, Armstrong testifies during a Senate hearing in 2008 on Capitol Hill. The hearing focused on finding a cure for cancer in the 21st century.  In 2009, Armstrong suffers a broken collarbone after falling during a race in Spain along with more than a dozen other riders.  Young Armstrong fans write messages on the ground using yellow chalk ahead of the 2009 Tour de France. He came in third place that year.  Armstrong launches the three-day Livestrong Global Cancer Summit in 2009 in Dublin, Ireland. The event was organized by his foundation.  In May 2010, Armstrong crashes during the Amgen Tour of California and is taken to the hospital. That same day, he denied allegations of doping made by former teammate Floyd Landis.  Ahead of what he said would be his last Tour de France, Armstrong gears up for the start of the race in 2010.  Lance Armstrong looks back as he rides in a breakaway during the 2010 Tour de France.  Armstrong finishes 23rd in the 2010 Tour de France. He announced his retirement from the world of professional cycling in February 2011. He said he wants to devote more time to his family and the fight against cancer.  Armstrong's son Luke; twin daughters, Isabelle and Grace; and 1-year-old son, Max, stand outside the Radioshack team bus on a rest day during the 2010 Tour de France.  The frame of Armstrong's bike is engraved with the names of his four children at the time and the Spanish word for five, "cinco." His fifth child, Olivia, was born in October 2010.  In February 2012, Armstrong competes in the 70.3 Ironman Triathlon in Panama City. He went on to claim two Half Ironman triathlon titles by June. He got back into the sport after retiring from professional cycling. Lance Armstrong over the years Lance Armstrong over the years Lance Armstrong over the years Lance Armstrong over the years Lance Armstrong over the years Lance Armstrong over the years Lance Armstrong over the years Lance Armstrong over the years Lance Armstrong over the years Lance Armstrong over the years Lance Armstrong over the years Lance Armstrong over the years Lance Armstrong over the years Lance Armstrong over the years Lance Armstrong over the years Lance Armstrong over the years Lance Armstrong over the years Lance Armstrong over the years Lance Armstrong over the years Lance Armstrong over the years Lance Armstrong over the years Lance Armstrong over the years Lance Armstrong over the years Lance Armstrong over the years Lance Armstrong over the years Lance Armstrong over the years HIDE CAPTION                           The decision followed this month's finding by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency that there is "overwhelming" evidence Armstrong was involved as a professional cyclist in "the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program." McQuaid said he was "sickened" by the report. But he emphasized, "Cycling has a future." In a statement, the union wrote, "Today's young riders do not deserve to be branded or tarnished by the past or to pay the price for the Armstrong era." The group, which officially goes by its French name Union Cycliste Internationale, or UCI, is the cycling's world governing body. Following the union's announcement, the French Cycling Federation said it was reissuing its call for Armstrong to return 2.95 million euros -- nearly $4 million -- that he collected for winning the tours. And one of the holdouts among his sponsors dropped out. Armstrong was once "a symbol of possibility," Oakley -- which has outfitted him in sunglasses and other gear -- said in a statement, adding that it looks "forward with hope to athletes and teams of the future who will rekindle that inspiration by racing clean, fair and honest." Like some other sponsors, Oakley said it would continue to support his cancer-fighting foundation. Heavyweights such as Nike, RadioShack and Anheuser-Busch have already fled team Lance, though, like Oakley, they've vowed to continue supporting the Lance Armstrong Foundation, which fights cancer through a program widely known as Livestrong. Armstrong does get to keep one prized possession from his Tour de France days. The Amaury Sport Organisation, which runs the 21-day tour, told CNN it will not ask him to return the yellow jerseys he won. Throughout it all, Armstrong has resolutely maintained his innocence. At an event Sunday, he did not refer to the controversy directly but said it's been "an interesting and at times very difficult few weeks." "People ask me a lot how are you doing," he told participants in his foundation's annual Ride for the Roses in Austin, Texas. "And I tell them I've been better, but I've also been worse." Though in the past he has often tweeted angry responses against those who accused him of doping, Armstrong has remained uncharacteristically quiet in recent days. He had no immediate public statement Monday. Armstrong's story -- that of an outspoken cancer survivor who tamed the grueling three-week race more than any other cyclist before or since -- had made him a household name. But allegations of doping long dogged his career. Then came the USADA finding. The agency announced it would ban Armstrong from the sport for life and strip him of his results dating from 1998. The decision wiped out 14 years of his career. McQuaid said Monday the cycling union would not appeal USADA's decision. McQuaid, speaking at a news conference, said he does not believe cycling will ever be free from doping, because "I don't think in any aspect of society there are no cheats. I do believe that doping can be hugely reduced." The keys are education programs and how teams are structured, he said. Monday's news conference turned somewhat contentious as reporters asked whether the cycling union had looked the other way for years despite growing allegations of widespread doping in the sport. Armstrong had made two donations to the union for anti-doping technology. McQuaid insisted his organization never ignored the concerns raised about possible doping. And he wrote off any suggestion that Armstrong's contributions had led the organization to make any decision on the issue. "The UCI has tested Lance Armstrong 218 times. If Lance Armstrong was able to beat the system, then the responsibility for addressing that rests not only with the UCI but also with" the anti-doping agencies that accepted the results, the cycling union said in its statement. The International Olympic Committee also is reviewing the evidence and could revoke Armstrong's bronze medal from the 2000 Sydney Games. The cycling union will meet later this week to discuss whether to award the seven Tour de France titles -- from 1999 to 2005 -- to another rider. The group's announcement Monday leaves Greg LeMond as the only American to win the tour. He did so in 1986, 1989 and 1990. U.S. cyclist Floyd Landis was stripped of his 2006 Tour de France victory in 2010. In the past, Armstrong has argued that he took more than 500 drug tests and never failed. In its 202-page report, the USADA said it had tested Armstrong less than 60 times and the International Cycling Union conducted about 215 tests. "Thus the number of actual controls on Mr. Armstrong over the years appears to have been considerably fewer than the number claimed by Armstrong and his lawyers," the USADA said. With Armstrong's disgrace, will anything change? The agency didn't say that Armstrong ever failed one of those tests, but his former teammates testified as to how they beat tests or avoided the test administrators altogether. Several riders also said team officials seemed to know when random drug tests were coming, the report said. Armstrong stepped down last week as chairman of his foundation but said he will continue to be involved. Some of the foundation's donors are furious over the scandal and want their money back. "We will not be deterred," Armstrong said Friday night at the organization's 15th anniversary celebration in Austin. "We will move forward." Doping scandal costs Armstrong sponsors, charity
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