BURLINGTON, Mass. (AP) — Republican Mitt Romney is arguing America needs new foreign policy leadership, using President Barack Obama's handling of the Middle East as an opening to criticize the incumbent before Wednesday's first presidential debate.

With both candidates hunkered down and practicing for their first face-off, Romney is offering a mixed argument against the president after a rough month that left the Republican trailing the incumbent in swing states even as they are closely running in nationwide polls.

In an opinion piece published Monday in The Wall Street Journal, Romney tried to show how he could be a better commander in chief as he accused the administration of minimizing the seriousness of the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya and other threats in the region. However, none of his ads running in the few states that will determine who will win the race mention world affairs and instead are focused heavily on the economy.