Presidential debate missteps

President Barack Obama and Republican rival Mitt Romney spun one-sided stories in their first presidential debate, not necessarily bogus, but not the whole truth.Here's a look at some of their claims and how they stack up with the facts:

Presidential debate: Lots of red meat for policy wonks

Was it the natural tendency of old campaigners to play it safe in the opening quarter? Or the tendency of longtime adversaries to score points off each other rather than illuminate their differences?

Or was it that the issues on which the presidential campaign will turn are so complicated — the economy, taxation, healthcare — that it’s a challenge for anyone to make them accessible for average listeners?

"Presidential debate" USA

U.S. presidential debate can be game-changer, or great entertainment

Fifty-two years ago, during the first televised U.S. presidential debate, an ailing Richard Nixon perspired so profusely that it was thought to have played a role in his defeat to John F. Kennedy.
Ever since then, presidential debates have been must-see TV in America, earning their way into political folklore thanks to a legendary zinger, a spectacular gaffe or just an all-round abysmal showing.