US Elections: Barack Obama Must Go On the Offensive

Barack Obama's moderate 2008 campaign, which focused primarily on messages of hope and change, is over. Today, if he wants to remain in power, he has no choice but to attack the credibility of his main opponent, Republican Mitt Romney.

For nearly two weeks, the presidential candidate's team has been attacking Mr. Romney's career while he was running the Bain Capital investment fund. Advertisements have aired in which fired former employees can be heard calling Mitt Romney a "job destroyer" and "a vampire who robs the poor to give to the rich." The goal: to cast doubt on Mr. Romney's ability to become a good president for Americans.

For his part, Mr. Obama is being criticized by his rival for the country's unemployment problem – even though it has decreased – which remains three points higher than the 2008 rate. During the recession – in the midst of which Barack Obama took office – only half of the jobs lost were regained.

According to the outgoing president's advisers, this offensive strategy will continue and will even be extended by a call to audit Mr. Romney's record when he was governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007.

The latter seems to prefer not to talk too much about this period because, at the time, he had implemented a health insurance reform similar to the one signed by Mr. Obama in 2010 – "a deterrent for Republicans."

Some of the president's allies, however, are expressing discomfort at such forceful attacks. On November 6, the centrist vote could make the difference. We'll see...