Romney wins 1st of 3 presidential debates against Obama

WASHINGTON - Republican presidential challenger Mitt Romney scored an important psychological victory over President Barack Obama in their first debate, putting the incumbent on the defensive over the weak economy and high unemployment rate.

A listless Mr Obama failed to counter-attack effectively on most occasions. More surprisingly, he did not capitalise on Mr Romney's recent vulnerabilities, such as the secretly-taped remarks of him disparaging 47 per cent of voters as "victims'' who depend excessively on the government.

Snap polls by several media organisations such as CNN and CBS pointed to a clear and convincing win for Mr Romney following the 90-minute debate in Denver, Colorado. The two candidates will meet for two more debates later this month, while their running mates will face-off in a similar fashion next Friday.

While he gave no new policy details and independent fact-checkers faulted him for repeating false claims on healthcare and tax policies, Mr Romney generally gave crisper answers and frequently connected his responses to the plight of ordinary Americans struggling to make ends meet.