WASHINGTON: The first US presidential debate may be two weeks away, but the mind games have already started.
President Barack Obama's campaign Monday opened the often absurd tongue-in-cheek game of spinning media expectations ahead of his three crucial clashes with Republican Mitt Romney in October.
The winner of such head-to-head meetings is often not obvious in the moment and campaigns make exhaustive efforts to win or reverse the pre- and post-debate media narrative.
Obama's spokeswoman Jen Psaki started the process of setting stratospheric expectations for Romney -- that her side could then declare he failed to meet -- while setting a low bar for her boss.
Psaki pointed out that Obama, unlike Romney, who had to wage a long primary campaign, had not taken part in a televised debate for four years -- since his three face-offs with former Republican foe John McCain.
She also pointed out that for someone with a professorial style like Obama, "the shorter format of the debates is not always conducive to somebody who gives substantive answers, as we know (Obama) tends to do."
"We know Mitt Romney and his team have seemed to prepare more than any candidate in modern history -- starting in July," she said as Obama jetted to a campaign event in Ohio aboard Air Force One.
"They have made clear that his performing well is a make-or-break piece for their campaign and his candidacy," Psaki said, noting that Romney had debated more than 20 times in the past year, while Obama was running the country.
Though the campaign says it will not give details about Obama's debate prep, the president is believed to have been testing snappy answers more conducive to sound bites than his normal rhetorical fare.
Psaki's pre-debate kidology has some way to go until it matches the hyperbole of George W. Bush spin-meister Matthew Dowd, who told reporters in 2004 that Democrat John Kerry was the best debater since Roman orator Cicero.
Romney appears to be taking the challenge of the debates very seriously -- he has been holding repeated practices with Ohio Senator Rob Portman, who has been chosen by his campaign to play Obama.
The first presidential debate takes place on October 3 at the University of Denver, Colorado; the second is on October 16 at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York and the final clash -- focused more on foreign policy -- is six days later at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida.
Vice President Joe Biden and Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan have their own debate on Thursday, October 11 in Danville, Kentucky.
Voters make their choice in the election on November 6.
The presidential debates are fraught with peril for candidates, who know a misstep can at least cause deep damage to a campaign.
They are also seen as a rare chance for voters to examine the candidates head-to-head as they finalize their election choices.
In 2008, Obama's debates with McCain garnered audiences of 52 million, 63 million and 56 million viewers.
But the trio of clashes was outperformed by the single vice presidential debate between Biden and Republican sensation and McCain running mate Sarah Palin, which pulled in nearly 70 million viewers.
Presidential debates have often played a crucial role in the outcome of elections.
Democrat John F. Kennedy appeared young and dynamic in 1960, outpointing his rival Richard Nixon and emerged victorious in November.
In 1980, Ronald Reagan used the debates to pass the test of presidential credibility and went on to beat president Jimmy Carter.
Four years later, he put to rest questions about his advanced age -- swatting challenger Walter Mondale with the immortal line: "I am not going to exploit for political purposes my opponent's youth and inexperience."
In 1992, George Bush looked at his watch during a debate with Bill Clinton -- adding to the impression he was oblivious to the economic struggles of normal Americans.
And Democrat Al Gore's repeated sighs in a melodramatic performance in 2000 handed the initiative to then Texas governor Bush.
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