President Obama predicts close presidential election

U.S. President Barack Obama predicts the presidential election against Republican candidate Mitt Romney will be close, with the economy the key factor. “Part of what makes it a close election is the economy is still tough for a lot of folks,” Obama told USA Today newspaper in an interview published Tuesday. Obama said his acceptance speech Thursday to close the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina will discuss how the country can “continue on a path that will lead us to a strong, secure middle class, robust economic growth, and a sense that our government is working on behalf of ordinary people to make sure everybody gets a fair [opportunity], everybody is doing their fair share, and everybody is playing by the same set of rules.”