Obama: 2012 election choice is clearest for a generation

The incumbent president said at the Democratic National Convention last night that the US has been tested by the cost of war, a troubled economy and crippling political gridlock.

He called the election a choice between two different paths and two fundamentally different visions of the future.

Mr Obama urged wavering supporters not to give up on their dreams of change and used his nationally televised speech yesterday to try to recapture the excitement that powered his first run for the presidency.

He said the US people were the ones responsible for accomplishments on his watch, such as overhauling healthcare, changing immigration policies and ending the ban in gay people in the military.

If they turn away now, he warned, "you buy into the cynicism that the change we fought for isn't possible."

Obama built on the message Democrats delivered throughout the convention: that the US is on the road to recovery while Republican hopeful Mitt Romney would revive failed policies, cutting taxes for the rich and slashing programmes that give ordinary Americans a chance for a more prosperous future.

"If you reject the notion that this nation's promise is reserved for the few, your voice must be heard in this election," he said.

Mr Obama's speech marked the climax of the three-day convention.

Vice-President Joe Biden was formally renominated yesterday.

Mr Biden proclaimed in his acceptance speech that "America has turned the corner" after experiencing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

Though the economy has dominated the convention, Democrats have also discussed national security issues, where Obama does well in polls.

They highlighted his carrying out his promise to pull US combat forces from Iraq and said Romney was "stuck in a cold war timewarp" for describing Russia - not al-Qaida - as the number one enemy.