WASHINGTON – Challenger Mitt Romney used Wednesday's debate to put President Barack Obama on the defensive on health care, jobs and other issues. The president's reluctance to fire back harshly gave new hope to Republican partisans.

Romney managed to highlight his top campaign themes – calling for lower tax rates, less regulation, the repeal of "Obamacare" – while largely fending off Obama's demands for details on how to pay for his proposals or safeguard Americans' health and well-being.

Neither Obama nor the debate's moderator, meanwhile, pressed Romney on some of his most vulnerable points. They included Romney's claim that 47 percent of Americans are docile dependents on the government, a topic heavily featured in TV ads and public conversations the past two weeks.