CHIEF IN COMMAND
Obama Wins Debate, CBS Poll Says
Uncommitted voters in a CBS instant poll handed President Barack Obama the victory over Mitt Romney in Monday's debate. Of those polled, 53 percent said Obama won, 23 percent said Romney won and 24 percent it was a tie.
The result is similar to the first debate, when 46 percent of uncommitted voters told CBS that Romney won. The CBS poll showed the second debate was largely a draw.
Uncommitted voters' trust in both candidates on foreign policy improved during the debate. The percentage believing Romney could handle an international crisis rose three percentage points, from 46 percent pre-debate, to 49 percent post-debate. Obama saw a far more dramatic jump, from 58 percent to 71 percent.
Post-debate, voters said Obama would do a better job on terrorism, by a 64 percent to 36 percent margin. The two men were equally trusted on China, with 50 percent of uncommitted voters favoring each to deal with the world's most populous nation.
The CBS News post-debate poll was conducted using the GfK KnowledgePanel, a representative Internet panel, among about 500 uncommitted voters who watched the debate. Uncommitted voters in the CBS poll include those who were either totally undecided before the debate or who were leaning to a candidate, but said they may still change their minds.