Obama chides Romney over Republican's rape slip

BURBANK (California) - President Barack Obama's camp Wednesday seized on "outrageous" comments about rape by one of Mitt Romney's fellow Republicans, hoping to carve out a decisive edge among women voters.

Mr Obama is barnstorming the country in what he hailed as an eight-state, 40-hour "campaign marathon extravaganza," trying to shore up his re-election bid by building a firewall across the key battlegrounds.

Mr Romney was on similar territory, telling voters in the western swing state of Nevada, where Mr Obama was due later, that the president's campaign in the neck-and-neck election boiled down to four words: "More of the same."

And the Republican made a bold prediction of victory on November 6, despite signs that Mr Obama holds a slight edge in the clutch states that will give one of them enough electoral votes needed for the presidency. 270 is needed to win the nation's highest office