The new TV ad, airing only in the swing state of Virginia, reminded viewers of the Romney’s "reckless" and "amateurish" trip visiting England, Israel and Poland in July. Romney, who ran the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, angered many Brits after suggesting London wasn't fully prepared for the Games. 

The ad criticized Romney for his "knee-jerk response" to the deadly protests in the Middle East. "If this is how he handles the world now just think what Mitt Romney might do as president," said the voice-over in the Obama ad.

The second presidential debate on October 16 will include a portion on foreign policy.

Steve Helber/AP Photo

Retiring Sen. Jim Webb speaking at an Obama rally Thursday in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

We've heard from his own mouth that Mitt Romney thinks of "47 percent" of Americans as takers dependent on government.

Before introducing President Obama at a campaign rally in Virginia on Thursday, Virginia Senator Jim Webb, a former Marine who served in Vietnam, called out the Republican presidential candidate over those harsh comments and reminded him of what the so-called "47 percent" has done for the country, which includes members of the military:

"Those young Marines that I led so many years ago have grown older now. They've lived lives of courage, both in combat and after their return, where many of them were derided by their own peers for having served. That was a long time ago. They are not bitter. They know what they did. But in receiving veterans' benefits, they are not takers. They are givers, in the ultimate sense of that word. There is a saying among war veterans: 'All gave some, some gave all.' That's not a culture of dependency. It's a part of a long tradition that gave this country its freedom and independence. They paid, some with their lives, some through wounds and disabilities, some through their emotional scars, some through lost opportunities and delayed entry into civilian careers which had already begun for many of their peers who did not serve. And not only did they pay. They will not say this, I will say it for them. They are owed. They are owed. If nothing else, at least a mention, some word of thanks and respect, when a presidential candidate who is their generational peer makes a speech accepting his party's nomination to be commander in chief. And they are owed much more than that — a guarantee that we will never betray the commitment that we made to them and to their loved ones."

In a secretly recorded video of Romney speaking at a private fundraiser, the Republican candidate claimed "47 percent" of American voters are "dependent upon government" and his "job is not to worry about those people." 

The latest poll numbers out this week confirmed this incident has significantly dragged Romney's candidacy down. 

Ed Andrieski/AP Photo

President Obama at a campaign rally in Golden, Colorado on Thursday.

As the campaigns head into the final sprint to election day, new poll numbers suggest Mitt Romney's still got some catching up to do in three key states.

According to the new NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist polls, President Obama leads Mitt Romney in Florida, Ohio and Virginia — post summer slog, post-conventions, post-Eastwooding.

Breaking down the numbers by state-by-state, Obama opened up a five point lead in Florida, 49 to 44 percent. He's holding steady against Romney in Virginia, 49 to 44 percent. And he's got an even bigger lead of seven points in Ohio, a state which benefited from Obama's auto bailout, 50 to 43 percent.

Obama carried all these states in 2008, but George W. Bush also carried them in 2004. They're crucial this election.

With just 54 days to go until the election, it's go time. However, it's totally not impossible for Romney to pull it off.

NBC News calculated Romney must win at least two of these crucial states, if not all of them, to reach the magic 270 electoral votes to get the keys to the White House.

The NBC station in Norfolk, Virginia posted the unedited version of their recent interview with President Obama. The president told reporter Andy Fox he won't apologize for calling rival Mitt Romney an outsourcer and explained why Bain matters. Good Q&A, here's one of the highlights:

Q: Your campaign has criticized Romney and Bain Capital outsourcing jobs, which increases unemployment. You have been criticizing him for that, but he says that did not happen on his watch at Bain and he’s asked for you to apologize. Will you apologize and if not, why not?

President Obama: "Because the issue here... is... (Andy: "So you won't be apologizing?") No, we won’t be apologizing and you know, sometimes these games are played during political campaigns. Understand what the issue is here. Mr. Romney claims he is Mr. Fix It for the economy because of his business experience, and so I think voters entirely legitimately want to know well what exactly was that business experience?

---

And as the head of a private equity firm, his job was to maximize profits, help wealthy investors. There’s nothing wrong with that. On the other hand, that company also was investing in companies the Washington Post called pioneers of outsourcing. And he’s now claiming 'well I wasn't there at the time,' except he files an SEC listing that says he was the CEO, Chairman and President of the company. So, as President of the United States, one of the things I’ve learned, and we just talked about was anything that happens on my watch is my responsibility. That's what people expect. Harry Truman said the buck stops with me and I think understandably people are going to be interested in, you know, are you responsible for this company that you say is one of your primary calling cards for wanting to be president."

Mitt Romney’s planning a jam-packed first day if elected to the Oval Office: repeal Obamacare, tackle the deficit, move to cut taxes and stand-up to China — all in 24 hours. 

His campaign released four new TV ads late last week, each one catering to a specific swing state. The spots mention what he would do on the first day and what he would accomplish within his first 100 days on the job. The ads are running in Iowa, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia.

• Iowa: "Day one, President Romney moves to repeal Obamacare and attacks the deficit, starting with $20 billion in savings."
• North Carolina: "Day one, President Romney moves to repeal Obamacare. Then Romney moves to cut taxes that kill jobs." 
• Virginia: "Day one, President Romney moves to repeal Obamacare and attacks the deficit, starting with $20 billion in savings."
• Ohio: "Day one, President Romney stands up to China, demands a level playing field for our businesses and workers." 
  

  ---

According to a new NBC/Marist poll, President Obama holds a slight edge over likely Republican nominee Mitt Romney in three pivotal swing states: Florida, Virginia and Ohio. Emphasis on the word slight.

Obama is ahead of Romney by a four point gap in both Florida and Virginia, 48 percent to 44 percent, among registered voters. And the president’s up by six in Ohio, 48 percent to 42 percent. While the scales are tipped in Obama way, he’s still under the 50 percent marker, so Romney is still within striking distances.

MSNBC

President Obama might not need to travel as far and wide on the campaign trail to get re-elected.

NBC News released its latest battleground electoral map, and it looks a lot more scaled back than 2008. According to polling info, only seven states are complete toss-ups this go around: Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Colorado and Nevada. Obama won all these states in 2008 — not the greatest sign for Willard M. Romney.

Team Obama plans to hold its first official rallies campaigning for a second term on Saturday, May 5 in Ohio and Virginia.

Facebook.com

Hank the cat in an official campaign photo.

The claws are out in the in the Virginia Senate race. Former Virginia Governors George Allen and Tim Kaine might be up against "Hank," a cat running as an Independent. (I love America).

Hip to social media, the cat's got a Facebook page and Twitter account set-up, and just released his first campaign ad on YouTube.

Swamped with media requests and new-found attention, his website has been crashing all day.

The 9-year-old Tabby touts himself as an advocate of job creation and protecting consumer data.

Federal law states anyone running for Senate must be at least 30-years-old. So basically, in cat-years he's 52, already on his way to middle-aged politician status.