The morning after the Republican Party officially nominated its presidential standard-bearers, Vice President Joe Biden appeared in Ohio auto country to blast the Romney-Ryan convention speeches as “not on the level,” accusing the GOP vice presidential nominee of fudging details of a closed auto plant.

Mark Stahl / AP

Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a campaign stop at the United Auto Workers Local 1714 Union Hall, Friday, Aug. 31, in Lordstown, Ohio.

Referencing Rep. Paul Ryan’s story of a shuttered Wisconsin GM plant, since put under the microscope by fact-checkers, Biden offered his own timeline of events during an appearance at a United Auto Workers hall in Lordstown, Ohio.

“What he didn't tell you was that plant in Janesville actually closed while President Bush was still in office,” Biden said. “And what they didn't say is, but for the sacrifices you all made, and the courage of the President of the U.S., all those GM plants would be closed, here all across the company.”

Independent fact-checkers have wrangled over the veracity of Ryan’s claim that Barack Obama broke his promise to help keep the plant open. The facility was idled under Bush but remained on standby status during the early days of Obama’s presidency. 

Ryan spokesman Brendan Buck said in response to Biden’s claims that “the vice president can’t answer for this administration’s unfulfilled promises and failed record … Like many towns across America, Janesville, Wisconsin is still waiting for the recovery the president promised.” Buck pointed to Obama’s October 2008 statement that he would “lead an effort to retool plants” like the one in Ryan’s hometown.

In remarks to about 200 attendees, the vice president did not reserve all his fire for his GOP counterpart. Referencing a recent article in Rolling Stone that indicated Romney-led Bain Capital received federal assistance for its reorganization, Biden contrasted that attitude with Romney’s opposition to a full auto industry bailout.

“It was one thing when a million middle-class jobs were on the line,” he said of Romney’s alleged seeking of federal assistance. “It was another thing when his own financial interests and those of his partners were on the line.”

On the alleged Bain “bailout,” the Romney campaign noted that the 1990 loan restructuring was actually for a spinoff company of the one founded by Romney and was administered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Commission, which does not take or use taxpayer funds. 

The vice president added that Republicans who lamented the flagging economy during their 3-day confab in Tampa failed to recognize advances in the Rust Belt and in the community of Lordstown, where Chevrolet has announced a plant will make new Cruze vehicles.

“They said last night that things weren't getting better,” Biden said. “I guess they don't know what's happened in this valley.  I guess they don’t know what's happened here in Lordstown. I guess they haven't met any of y'all.”

While Biden’s criticisms were characteristically harsh, perhaps a more blunt version of an RNC fact check was offered to the crowd by former Gov. Ted Strickland, who introduced the vice president.

“They're crazy,” Strickland said of the GOP. “They lie. Their strategy for winning this election is to tell the big lie." 

TAMPA, Fla. – Among Mitt Romney’s many virtues and accomplishments listed Thursday evening, one of his foremost achievements as governor – enacting sweeping health care reform – was noticeably absent.

Also missing from most of this week’s convention was any mention of the winding-down wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, two of the engagements that had largely defined the Republican Party for much of the past decade.

Two top officials from Romney’s time as governor of Massachusetts, Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey and Workforce Development Secretary Jane Edmonds, offered testimonials on the Republican presidential nominee’s behalf during the final night in Tampa.

Slideshow: Republican National Convention

But neither of them – and, really, none of the other speakers this week – so much as mentioned the landmark health care reform law Romney signed into law during his lone term in office.

The convention included plenty of promises to undo “Obamacare,” the colloquial name for the health care overhaul President Barack Obama pushed through Congress.

Joe Skipper / Reuters

Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney takes the stage to formally accept the presidential nomination during the final session of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida, August 30, 2012.

"We will champion small businesses, America’s engine of job growth," Romney said in his acceptance speech. “That means reducing taxes on business, not raising them … it means that we must rein in the skyrocketing cost of health care by repealing and replacing Obamacare."

“The president has declared that the debate over government-controlled health care is over,” Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan said in his Wednesday night address. “That will come as news to the millions of Americans who will elect Mitt Romney so we can repeal Obamacare.”

But the convention all but glossed over “Romneycare,” the markedly similar Massachusetts law that Obama has often cited as a model for his own health care law.

Similarly, Romney made no mention of Iraq or Afghanistan, nor did former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, a major figure in orchestrating those two wars for the Bush administration.

The only major figure to really make mention of either of the wars was Arizona Sen. John McCain, the 2008 Republican presidential nominee.

"By committing to withdraw from Afghanistan before peace can be achieved and sustained, the president has discouraged our friends and emboldened our enemies, which is why our commanders did not recommend that decision and why they have said it puts our mission at greater risk," McCain said on Wednesday night.

Romney has struggled to distinguish himself from Obama in terms of how he would differently handle the two wars, and the economy is undoubtedly the prime issue of the 2012 election.

But the Massachusetts law has always been a more politically thorny issue for Romney, having almost tripped up the nominee during the primary fight, precisely for those similarities to Obama’s reforms.

“He is the worst Republican in the country to put up against Barack Obama,” former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum said in March of Romney because of that Massachusetts law.

Bringing up Romney’s health care law would, at a minimum, risk cognitive dissonance on the issue; at worst, its mention could stir an angry reaction from the conservative delegates gathered here in Florida.

But conventions are carefully scripted affairs that often help decipher what message a party will carry into the fall campaign. The Romney campaign made clear this week that the economy, jobs and Medicare will be at the core of this November’s election. But maybe not health care.

Pool / Getty Images

President Barack Obama returns to the White House on August 29, 2012 in Washington, D.C. Obama continued to campaign for his re-election on the second and last day of his college tour through Iowa and Virginia.

President Obama will visit Louisiana on Monday to meet with officials and view the damage from Hurricane Isaac, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney announced Friday.

Carney said the president will go to assess the impact of the hurricane, which has since been downgraded to a tropical storm, and make sure “that unmet needs are being met and that the federal response led by FEMA is helping.”

Obama will stop in Louisiana after beginning his day in Toledo, Ohio where he’ll hold a campaign event.

Recommended: First Thoughts: What Romney accomplished (and didn't)

He was scheduled to campaign in Cleveland after his event in Toledo but Carney said changes to the campaign schedule were still pending.

Obama’s Republican opponent in the presidential race, Mitt Romney, is visiting the storm-stricken parts of the state today. 

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan called for "accountability," both for President Barack Obama and themselves, on the heels of accepting the GOP presidential nomination.

The newly-minted Republican presidential and vice presidential nominee held a sendoff rally here near Tampa, Romney's first public appearance since last night's address to the Republican National Convention.

“We want to be held accountable for the promises we made last night, and the night before. Paul Ryan and I both spoke to the American people about what we’ll do if we become president and vice president," Romney said, urging Americans to also measure Obama by the promises he has either kept or discarded.

Ryan, who accepted the vice presidential nomination on Wednesday, told the crowd of roughly 2,000 supporters that he felt he and Romney had emerged from Tampa offering a "our fellow countrymen a very clear choice" in visions of leadership for the next four years.

Romney said he was "embarrassed" by the tributes and stories about his life told last night by members of his church, his family, and by those touched by his tenure at the Olympics in Salt Lake City or at the statehouse in Massachusetts. He said some of the stories were "overly generous," but he appreciated them nonetheless.

Romney and Ryan will now part ways -- on newly unveiled official campaign planes -- for separate campaign stops to round out the week. Romney will head to South Louisiana to tour storm-damaged areas with Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, and Ryan will stump in Virginia at a campaign stop originally envisioned as a joint appearance for the ticket.

What Romney accomplished… And what he didn’t… Romney’s nostalgic optimism and Obama’s forward… Romney’s pitch to women… Clint Eastwood: Go ahead, make our day… It was yet another unforced error by Romney and his campaign… Romney and Ryan stump in FL, Romney heads to New Orleans, and Ryan stumps in VA... Obama speaks at Ft Bliss, TX… And “Meet” will interview Rahm Emanuel.

Watch: Slideshow from the Republican National Convention

TAMPA, Fla. -- Yesterday, we wrote that Mitt Romney had four objectives with his acceptance speech: 1) better introduce himself to the public, 2) close the empathy gap, 3) get American voters to be comfortable with him as president, and 4) put more meat on the policy bone. He accomplished those first two goals, especially if you were in the convention hall or watching the live feed in the 8:00 pm hour.The testimonials from families who had lost loved ones during the time Romney played a key role in his church were powerful, and there were tears in the audience after these families told their stories. It was something we hadn’t seen from Romney or his campaign before. But how many people saw that? You didn’t if you only tuned in for the primetime hour beginning at 10:00 pm, which began with Clint Eastwood’s very unusual introduction (more on that below). On the empathy question, Romney also delivered this line that was very effective: “President Obama promised to begin to slow the rise of the oceans and heal the planet. MY promise is to help you and your family.”

*** And what he didn’t: So the campaign largely succeeded on those first two objectives. But on the last two? Not as much. On getting American voters more comfortable with him as president, Romney made a stronger case -- and devoted more time -- to why Obama should be fired than why Romney should be hired. Indeed, the speech was heavy on trying to channel disappointment with the current president. One example: “I wish President Obama had succeeded because I want America to succeed. But his promises gave way to disappointment and division.” Yet Romney didn’t make the case how he could get past the current division, polarization and gridlock, especially given how these campaigns are currently conducting themselves. And as for more meat on the policy bone, we didn’t get it. Romney discussed his five-step plan on the economy -- take advantage of domestic energy sources, give Americans the job skills they need, encourage free trade, cut the deficit, and lower taxes. But outside the budget deficit, none of those steps is any different than what George W. Bush pursued when he was president. And this was surprising, but Romney never mentioned the word “Afghanistan” once. By not putting more meat on the policy bone and by not differentiating his policies from Bush’s, Romney left the Obama campaign a lot of room to work with.

*** Nostalgic optimism vs. Forward: If you could sum up the majority of Romney's acceptance speech it would be with these two words: nostalgic optimism. Per NBC’s Sarah Blackwill, Romney used the word “restore” three times (" Now is a time to restore the promise of America"). And he vowed to “return” to the foreign policy legacy of Truman and Reagan. And the message of nostalgic optimism -- to the time of his father and mother -- was typified by this line: "I was born in the middle of the century in the middle of the country, a classic baby boomer. It was a time when Americans were returning from war and eager to work. To be an American was to assume that all things were possible. When President Kennedy challenged Americans to go to the moon, the question wasn't whether we'd get there, it was only when we'd get there.” But looking backwards only gets you so far; after all, another story of America is moving forward. And that word “forward” happens to be the slogan of the man Romney is trying to unseat.

*** Shades of Dole in ’96? In fact, Romney’s message of a return to yesteryear made us think of Bob Dole’s message in his 1996 acceptance speech. “Let me be the bridge to an America that only the unknowing call myth. Let me be the bridge to a time of tranquillity, faith, and confidence in action,” Dole said. “And to those who say it was never so, that America has not been better, I say, you're wrong, and I know, because I was there. And I have seen it. And I remember… We have fought and prevailed on almost every continent and in almost every sea. We have even lost, but we have lasted, and we have always come through.  Like Dole (Greatest Generation) vs. Clinton (Baby Boomer), Romney vs. Obama is a battle between generations, too.

Jae C. Hong / AP

Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney acknowledges delegates before speaking at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012.

*** Romney’s pitch to women: Another thing struck us about Romney’s speech: He made a direct pitch to women voters. He said of his mother, “I wish she could have been here at the convention and heard leaders like Gov. Mary Fallin, Gov. Nikki Haley, Gov. Susana Martinez, Sen. Kelly Ayotte and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. As governor of Massachusetts, I chose a woman Lt. governor, a woman chief of staff, half of my cabinet and senior officials were women, and in business, I mentored and supported great women leaders who went on to run great companies.” If you didn’t think the Romney camp knows the gender gap is an issue, you know now…

*** Go ahead -- make our day: And finally, we come to the story that’s likely to be the subject of late-night comedians -- and that’s still the talk of Tampa: Clint Eastwood. After all of the scripting, Eastwood delivered a 10 minute-plus rambling speech, part of which was an imaginary interview with President Obama. Romney World has to ask itself: Why Eastwood over the touching Romney video in the primetime hour? Why Eastwood over those touching stories about Romney? The word we’ve received about Eastwood from the Romney camp is this: The Obama campaign is dedicated to tearing down Romney, and an American icon like Eastwood is on Romney’s side.

*** Yet another unforced error: Unfortunately for the Romney campaign, Eastwood was yet another unforced error. Of course, all campaigns make them -- Obama made one when he allowed Republicans to seize on his “You didn’t build that” line. But Romney and his campaign stumble on the EASIEST of situations. Remember the speech at Ford Field in Detroit? Romney questioning London’s readiness before the Olympics? All were unforced errors, and all were VERY avoidable.

*** On the trail: Romney and Ryan hold a farewell rally in Lakeland, FL at 10:00 am ET; Romney then heads to New Orleans; and Ryan stumps in Richmond, VA at 2:00 pm ET… Obama speaks at Fort Bliss, TX at 2:45 pm ET… And Biden campaigns in Lordstown, OH at 11:00 am.

*** On Sunday’s “Meet the Press”: NBC’s David Gregory interviews Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

Countdown to Dem convention: 3 days
Countdown to 1^st presidential debate: 33 days
Countdown to VP debate: 41 days
Countdown to 2^nd presidential debate: 46 days
Countdown to 3^rd presidential debate: 52 days
Countdown to Election Day: 67 days

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TAMPA, Fla. – Accepting the Republican presidential nomination, Mitt Romney vowed to move America past what he called the “disappointments” of President Barack Obama’s four years in office if elected to the White House in November.

In a speech that hearkened back to an America typified by Romney’s upbringing “in the middle of the century in the middle of the country,” the nominee argued he was the candidate best suited to rejuvenate a flagging economy.

"Today, the time has come for us to put the disappointments of the last four years behind us," Romney said.

Joe Raedle / Getty Images

Mitt Romney stands with his wife, Ann Romney, and family as Paul Ryan and his wife, Janna Ryan, stand with their family on stage as balloons drop during the final night of Republican National Convention in Tampa.

Using a traditional attack line against an incumbent president, Romney said, “This president can tell us that the next four years he’ll get it right.  But this president cannot tell us that you are better off today than when he took office.”

“The time has come to turn the page.”

The nationally televised address, the biggest of Romney’s political career, sought to better introduce him to Americans and erase the low favorable rating from which he suffered before the convention. He made barely veiled overtures toward winning women voters, among whom he trails Obama by 10 points in the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.

Romney's personal side extolled at RNC

But Romney also attempted to project a forward looking vision of America, mentioning the word “future” a total of 13 times during the speech, and the word “tomorrow” three times.

In terms of policy, Romney leaned heavily on the broad planks he’s already outlined as a candidate. He hit Obama on taxes, health care and foreign policy, though he scarcely detailed his own plans on Medicare and made no mention of Iraq or Afghanistan.

Romney’s speech instead intended to seize on voters' disillusionment in Obama, based on the lofty promises made by the then-Illinois senator during his 2008 campaign.

"President Obama promised to slow the rise of the oceans and to heal the planet,” Romney said. “My promise – is to help you and your family.”

And as if to preempt Democratic criticism that he was rooting for failure, Romney said he had hoped for just the opposite.

"I wish President Obama had succeeded because I want America to succeed. But his promises gave way to disappointment and division," Romney said. "This isn't something we have to accept. Now is the moment when we can do something. With your help we will do something."

Watch Thursday night's RNC speeches

Thursday was the culmination of a years-long effort by Romney to capture the nomination, a goal which had eluded his father, the former governor of Michigan. Romney unsuccessfully sought the GOP nomination in 2008, and struggled during the 2012 primaries to rally the party’s core of conservatives behind his candidacy before pulling away.

This cycle’s primary – during which Romney boasted of having a “severely conservative” governing record – took its toll on him as a general-election candidate, giving fodder to Obama’s re-election team to use against the Republican during an unforgiving summer campaign.

To that end, much of the Republican National Convention this week in Florida was directed toward reposturing Romney for a general-election audience.

Romney relied on other surrogates earlier in the evening to round out his personal story. Friends, family members, and former co-workers delivered speeches about his leadership in business and government, along with his time in the Mormon Church – a less-discussed aspect of the nominee’s persona.

Slideshow: Republican National Convention

Stan Honda / AFP - Getty Images

Republicans gather in Tampa, Florida to officially nominate Mitt Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan, as the party's candidates for the 2012 presidential election.

Launch slideshow

There were high and low points throughout the convention, and some unusual moments – such as actor Clint Eastwood’s ad-libbed speech to a chair jokingly intended to represent Obama.

Romney sought to address several of his most glaring political vulnerabilities in his acceptance speech. He tried to defray attacks on his career as co-founder of Bain Capital by describing some of the most successful byproducts of the venture capital group's best-known successes.

And Romney celebrated the achievements of women in the private sector and in government, drawing on the example of his own mother's bid for the Senate.

"As governor of Massachusetts, I chose a woman lieutenant governor, a woman chief of staff, half of my cabinet and senior officials were women, and in business, I mentored and supported great women leaders who went on to run great companies," Romney said.

Romney and his veep nominee, Paul Ryan, will take no break from campaigning after a high-stakes week for their ticket, stumping Friday in Florida and Virginia and keeping a busy schedule throughout the weekend.

Obama’s convention, meanwhile, will make the case for a second term at the Democratic National Convention next week in Charlotte, N.C.

The dueling conventions – representing some of the few natural opportunities for candidates to bend the arc of the election – signal the onset of the most intense portion of the general election.

Ryan and Romney, along with Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, will set out to a handful of battleground states over the next 67 days to sway a winnowed group of independents and swing voters who could determine the outcome of the election.

One such state is Florida, the site of the Republican National Convention, and a state on which Romney’s fate might rest this November.

Florida also plays host to one of the three officially sanctioned debates between Obama and Romney scheduled for this fall. (A lone vice presidential debate between Biden and Romney is also on the calendar.)

By virtue of accepting the nomination, Romney now has access to tens of millions of dollars his campaign has raised for the general-election season. The advent of super PACs, political groups with no limits on fundraising or spending, has already pushed the cost of the 2012 election to unprecedented levels, and the price tag is only likely to skyrocket over the remainder of the campaign.

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Romney campaign planned a surprise guest to address the Republican convention here: Hollywood actor and director Clint Eastwood.

But it might have been more of a surprise than they bargained for.

In a rather rambling speech that lasted for more than 10 minutes -- not delivered on TelePrompter -- Eastwood criticized President Obama, in part by conducting an imaginary interview with the president.

"It might be time for someone else to come along and solve the problem," Eastwood told the GOP audience, adding: "When somebody doesn't do the job, we've got to let him go."  

The crowd ate up most of what Eastwood said, but it was an unusual address, especially at such a highly scripted political convention.

Eastwood ended his remarks by delivering his signature line: "Go ahead, make my day."

After his remarks, the Romney campaign issued this statement: "Judging an American icon like Clint Eastwood through a typical political lens doesn't work. His ad libbing was a break from all the political speeches, and the crowd enjoyed it. He rightly pointed out that 23 million Americans out of work or underemployed is a national disgrace and it's time for a change."

TAMPA, Fla. -- As Republicans prepared to welcome their presidential nominee to Thursday’s final session of the GOP convention in Tampa, Mitt Romney's friends and allies took on the job of persuading Americans that he's a man more worthy of their trust and their vote than President Barack Obama.

David Goldman / AP

Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and Republican vice presidential nominee, Rep. Paul Ryan walk in for a group picture with their campaign staff at the Republican National Convention in Tampa on Thursday.

A stream of character witnesses came before the delegates to testify that Romney was a man of compassion and integrity who’d devoted much of his life to helping others, both as a business executive and as a Mormon leader.

Mormon Pam Finlayson recalled how Romney cared for her family when her daughter Kate was born prematurely, suffered a severe brain hemorrhage, and was close to death.

When Romney came to visit Finlayson and her daughter in the hospital, “I could tell immediately that he didn't just see a tangle of plastic and tubes and wires; he saw our beautiful little girl, and he was clearly overcome with compassion for her.”

Although her daughter survived, she became gravely ill at age 26 and died. “In the midst of making the final decision to run for president ... when they heard of Kate's passing, both Mitt and Ann paused, to personally reach out to extend us sympathy, and express their love.”

She said, “It seems to me when it comes to loving our neighbor, we can talk about it, or we can live it. The Romneys live it every single day.”

Mormon Grant Bennett, who served as an assistant pastor under Romney said, “Mitt prayed with and counseled church members seeking spiritual direction, single mothers raising children, couples with marital problems, youth with addictions, immigrants separated from their families, and individuals whose heat had been shut off.”

He said, “Mitt did what he challenged us to do. He led by example.”

Bob White, one of Romney’s partners at Bain Capital, said “Our investors included pension funds, colleges and charities with noble missions. We would invest wisely and treat their money as carefully as our own.”

He added, “And when things went wrong, we would not blame others. Finally, he took decisive action. Mitt never hesitated. He made the tough decisions, coalesced the team, and moved forward.”

The testimonials to Romney’s character were delivered against a backdrop of polling data that show a likeability gap between Romney and Obama.

In the most recent NBC News/ Wall Street Journal poll, 58 percent of respondents said Obama was the more “easygoing and likable” candidate, while only 23 percent said the same of Romney. Fifty two percent saw Obama as caring more about average people, while only 30 percent saw Romney in that light.

Emphasis on Florida
But the testimony Thursday night to Romney’s admirable qualities will be in vain if he doesn't win Florida’s 29 electoral votes.

Under most electoral vote scenarios, Florida is a must-win state for Romney. So it wasn’t surprising that Thursday’s featured speakers included Floridians: Sen. Marco Rubio, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Rep. Connie Mack, who is the GOP Senate candidate.

Rubio, who introduced Romney, said Obama was promoting big government ideas. "Ideas that people come to America to get away from" and "threaten to make America more like the rest of the world, instead of helping the world become more like America," Rubio said.

Earlier, Jeb Bush delivered a short tribute to his brother, former president George W. Bush. “He kept us safe,” he said, drawing huge cheers from the delegates.

Then addressing Obama, Bush said, “Mr. President, it is time to stop blaming your predecessor for your failed economic policies. You were dealt a tough hand but your policies have not worked. In the fourth year of your presidency, a real leader would accept responsibility for his actions and you haven’t done it.”

Bush then devoted much of his speech to public education reform, giving parents the choice of which schools they children should attend.

“I know it’s hard to take on the unions. They fund campaigns. They’re well-organized,” he said , and on Election Day, union members show up. “Meanwhile, the kids aren’t old enough to vote. But you and I know who deserves a choice. Gov. Romney knows it, too.”

Slideshow: Republican National Convention

Stan Honda / AFP - Getty Images

Republicans gather in Tampa, Florida to officially nominate Mitt Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan, as the party's candidates for the 2012 presidential election.

Launch slideshow

The NBC Politics team has curated some of the notable speeches from the final night of the Republican National Convention in Tampa. 

Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney addresses the RNC Thursday, in Tampa, Fla.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio's speech to the Republican National Convention focused on family and faith, while also jabbing at Obama administration policies during his introduction of GOP nominee Mitt Romney. 

Hollywood legend Clint Eastwood speaks at the RNC Thursday, in Tampa, Fla.

U.S. Olympians, including Kim Rhode, Mike Eruzione and Derek Parra, address the RNC Thursday, in Tampa, Fla.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush speaks to the RNC while being joined on stage by educator Sean Duffy and school choice beneficiary Frantz Placide.

Rep. Connie Mack, R-Fla., addresses the RNC Thursday, in Tampa.

Newt and Callista Gingrich tell the RNC that Mitt Romney has the same belief in the core values of the Republican party that former President Ronald Reagan once held.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Paul Ryan acknowledged that more factors than just President Obama contributed to the closing of a General Motors plant in his hometown at the height of the auto industry's troubles in 2008.

Despite appearing to assign the president sole blame for the decision to place a Janesville, Wis., GM plant on standby during his speech Thursday night at the Republican National Convention, Ryan made some clarifications, while still chiding Obama for making a promise to help keep the plant open.

“The point about the plant in my hometown, President Obama came there and campaigned in the plant in 2008. And he said this plant will be here for another 100 years," Ryan said in an interview with NBC's Brian Williams. "He got elected. He put his policies in place. The plant's empty. Nobody works there anymore."

Ryan left the door open that other factors may have contributed to the factory, which produced SUVs, closing down. 

“Well, I think really what got the plant was $4 gas," Ryan said. "A lack of an energy policy, and that-- that pre-dates the Obama years. We need a better energy policy in this country.”

The seven-term Wisconsin congressman then returned to his role of campaign attack dog Thursday night when asked about the auto bailout, which President Obama pushed for and Mitt Romney opposed.

“We had a political bankruptcy and what happened is the Obama administration put themselves in the position of picking winners and losers," he said, "and I don’t think that was one in keeping with the rule of law."

In the remarks he'll make accepting the Republican presidential nomination, Mitt Romney will offer a harsh indictment of Barack Obama's presidency, as well as promise to create 12 million jobs in his first four years as president, according to excerpts released by his campaign.

"Today the time has come for us to put the disappointments of the last four years behind us, to put aside the divisiveness and the recriminations, to forget about what might have been and to look ahead to what can be," Romney is expected to say.

"Now is the time to restore the promise of America," he will add. "Many Americans have given up on this president but they haven’t ever thought about giving up. Not on themselves. Not on each other. And not on America."

More Romney: "I am running for president to help create a better future -- a future where everyone who wants a job can find one. Where no senior fears for the security of their retirement. An America where every parent knows that their child will get an education that leads them to a good job and a bright horizon. And unlike the president, I have a plan to create 12 million new jobs." 

Romney also talks about his faith.

"Like a lot of families in a new place with no family, we found kinship with a wide circle of friends through our church. When we were new to the community it was welcoming and as the years went by, it was a joy to help others who had just moved to town or just joined our church. We had remarkably vibrant and diverse congregations of all walks of life and many who were new to America. We prayed together, our kids played together and we always stood ready to help each other out in different ways."

And he makes a big pitch to women.

"My mom and dad were true partners, a life lesson that shaped me by everyday example. When my mom ran for the Senate, my dad was there for her every step of the way. I can still hear her saying in her beautiful voice, “Why should women have any less say than men, about the great decisions facing our nation?”

"I wish she could have been here at the convention and heard leaders like Governor Mary Fallin, Gov. Nikki Haley, Gov. Susana Martinez, Sen. Kelly Ayotte and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice." 

"As governor of Massachusetts, I chose a woman Lt. governor, a woman chief of staff, half of my cabinet and senior officials were women, and in business, I mentored and supported great women leaders who went on to run great companies."

Mike Segar / Reuters

Republican presidenial nominee Mitt Romney and vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan (center, front) pose with members of their staffs in the convention hall before the final session of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida, Aug. 30.

Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney (center left) and Republican vice presidential candidate, Rep. Paul Ryan (center right) pose with campaign staffers for a photo during the final day of the Republican National Convention, Aug. 30.

On the final day of the Republican National Convention, Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan and their staffs got together to have a group picture made. I'm guessing the official photographer is the one up on the ladder and the other photographers are members of the press and other RNC attendees. As a former photographer, I know you have to take enough frames to be sure you've got one with everyone smiling, eyes open and all the faces clearly visible. With the size of this group, that can be challenging. Looks like Reuters photographer Mike Segar and Getty photographer Chip Somodevilla found a good vantage point as well. 

Slideshow: Republican National Convention

Win Mcnamee / Getty Images

Republicans gather in Tampa, Florida to officially nominate Mitt Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan, as the party's candidates for the 2012 presidential election.

Launch slideshow

Tonight Mitt Romney takes the stage to address the convention and has the chance to reshape the arc of the presidential campaign. When he accepts the party's nomination tonight on national television, he'll become the official GOP nominee.

Last night, Paul Ryan officially accepted the nomination to be the GOP nominee for vice president. 

More photos from the RNC on PhotoBlog 

Full coverage

Mladen Antonov / AFP - Getty Images

Mitt Romney talks to a technician during a sound check session at the Tampa Bay Times Forum on Thursday ahead of his speech at the Republican National Convention.

TAMPA, Fla. -- For a candidate seeking to unseat an incumbent commander in chief, there are few opportunities more important than that first nationally televised speech as a presidential nominee; a unique opportunity to speak not just to the core of the party, but to voters all across the country. 

When Mitt Romney delivers his acceptance speech Thursday night in Tampa, he’ll be following the footsteps of previous presidential challengers, who either inspired or alienated voters with their convention addresses.

For the many Americans who pay only occasional attention to the presidential campaign, Romney will have the chance to demonstrate who he is, what he believes, and where he hopes to lead the nation.

Previous candidates who, like Romney, were trying to defeat an incumbent have delivered acceptance speeches which fall into several types; some of which Romney will surely avoid.

Unapologetic and defiant
When Sen. Barry Goldwater, R- Ariz., won the Republican nomination in 1964, he refused to camouflage or retreat from his conservative beliefs. His speech to the convention in San Francisco was perhaps the most uncompromising in American political history.

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A grim-looking Goldwater told the crowd, “The good Lord raised this mighty Republic to be a home for the brave and to flourish as the land of the free, not to stagnate in the swampland of collectivism, not to cringe before the bully of communism.”

For Republican moderates who were alarmed by Goldwater’s threats of using nuclear weapons and his musings about ending Social Security, he had a message: go elsewhere. “Those who do not care for our cause, we don't expect to enter our ranks in any case,” he said.

The convention had been roiled by a party platform fight over condemning the John Birch Society and other groups called “extremist” by the media. Goldwater took on the controversy directly with his famous lines: “I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.”

Romney's RNC speech: A chance to reshape campaign arc

None of this helped Goldwater in his uphill battle against President Lyndon Johnson, but in all likelihood Goldwater was going to lose the election anyway. Goldwater’s speech did at least provide one model of how to go down to defeat in the most defiant way.

Although not quite as hard-edged as Goldwater’s speech, 1996 Republican nominee Bob Dole’s acceptance speech also had a stern tone. Dole denounced officials in President Bill Clinton’s administration as "a corps of elite who never grew up, never did anything real, never sacrificed, never suffered, and never learned ... ."

He promised to be the nation’s toughest cop: "If I win, the lives of violent criminals are going to be hell,” he vowed to pursue terrorists “to the ends of the earth" and he said, “We should not have here a single illegal immigrant … .”

Candid, sincere, populist ... and ill-timed
In 1984, by the time Democratic challenger Walter Mondale spoke to his party’s convention in San Francisco, the signs were clear that the economy had recovered from its worst recession since World War II and that incumbent President Ronald Reagan would be hard to beat.

Mondale -- the leader of a party that had never made fiscal austerity its central creed -- chose to offer himself as a truth teller and fiscal hawk, pledging to reduce the budget deficit by two-thirds.

“Here's the truth about the future: We are living on borrowed money and borrowed time,” he warned. “These deficits hike interest rates, clobber exports, stunt investment, kill jobs, undermine growth, cheat our kids, and shrink our future.”

He predicted that “Whoever is inaugurated in January,” the tax burden would go up. “Anyone who says they won't is not telling the truth to the American people.” He added, “Mr. Reagan will raise taxes, and so will I. He won't tell you. I just did.”

Mondale also mixed in a dose of typical Democratic populism of the kind still heard today: “To the corporations and the freeloaders who play the loopholes and pay no taxes, my message is: Your free ride is over.”

Watch Wednesday night's RNC speeches here

This did not prove to be an inspiring message to the voters: Mondale lost every state but his own, Minnesota.

Also falling into the category of candid, sincere, and populist -- but even worse timed -- was the 1972 speech of Democratic candidate George McGovern.

Bad convention management and fractious delegates meant that McGovern did not get to deliver his speech until 2:45 a.m. ET -- unthinkable, even suicidal, by today’s TV standards.

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Evan Vucci / AP

Republicans gather in Tampa, Florida to officially nominate Mitt Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan, as the party's candidates for the 2012 presidential election.

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For those who couldn’t stay awake, Chalmers Roberts of The Washington Post summed it up: “A rousing speech, delivered with fervor as well as verve.” To Democrats angry about President Richard Nixon continuing the war in Vietnam, McGovern pledged, “I will halt the senseless bombing of Indochina on Inauguration Day.” He never got the chance, going down in a landslide defeat that November.

Populist and homey
In New York in 1992, Bill Clinton delivered his acceptance speech just hours after Ross Perot said he was withdrawing from the presidential race, a decision Perot later reversed. Clinton appealed to Perot voters to join the Democrats and then uncorked a smoothly delivered populist appeal with themes much like those of Mondale in 1984.

"I was raised to believe that the American Dream was built on rewarding hard work," he said. "But folks in Washington have turned that American ethic on its head. For too long, those who play by the rules and keep the faith have gotten the shaft. And those who cut corners and cut deals have been rewarded."

Clinton said of his opponent George H.W. Bush, "He raised taxes on the people who drive pick-up trucks and lowered taxes on people who ride in limousines."

He concluded with a personal touch about the Arkansas town where he grew up -- and the line most people today remember: "I end tonight where it all began for me," he said. "I still believe in a place called Hope."

The gesture, more than the words
You may not remember many of the phrases in 2004 Democratic nominee John Kerry’s convention speech, but you probably do recall how he began that speech -- coming out, saluting to the crowd, and declaring, “I'm John Kerry, and I'm reporting for duty.”

The theme of Kerry’s campaign against President George W. Bush was that Kerry’s national security credentials were impeccable because he’d served in the Navy during the Vietnam War. As a combat veteran he would cede nothing to Bush on patriotism.

“As president, I will wage this war with the lessons I learned in war,” he said, as he pledged to “bring our allies to our side and share the burden” and “reduce the risk to American soldiers. That's the right way to get the job done and bring our troops home.”

Not memorable but no matter …
Then there are those acceptance speeches which in the end aren’t that memorable -- but don’t matter because the challenger scores his rhetorical victory in a fall debate.

Reagan’s acceptance speech at the 1980 GOP convention isn’t remembered today as one of his greatest. It did what you’d expect -- it challenged the incumbent president Jimmy Carter and his record.

He asked, ''Can anyone compare the state of our economy when the Carter administration took office with where we are today and say, 'Keep up the good work?' Can anyone look at our reduced standing in the world today and say, 'Let's have four more years of this?' ''

More decisive was the side-by-side comparison of the self-assured Reagan with his dour opponent in the sole debate the two men had one week before the election.

As the Republican National Convention in Tampa builds to its final night and its most anticipated speaker Mitt Romney, take a spin through an interactive image, below, of the the Tampa Bay Times Forum where the events are being held. (Editor's note: This image was created by stitching multiple pictures together)

A view from the 3rd floor of the Tampa Bay Times Forum, taken between shows at the CNBC booth, one of many news studios ringing the floor. (John Brecher / NBCNews.com)

Workers, delegates, journalists and others mix and mingle as they pass through the hallway surrounding level 3 of the Tampa Bay Times Forum, site of the RNC. (John Brecher / NBCNews.com)

See more visual stories from the RNC in PhotoBlog, and NBC's full coverage of the event.

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Actor and director Clint Eastwood has been confirmed as a surprise guest Thursday night at the Republican National Convention.

Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

Director/actor Clint Eastwood accepts the award for Distinguished Collaborator onstage during the 14th Annual Costume Designers Guild Awards With Presenting Sponsor Lacoste held at The Beverly Hilton hotel on February 21, 2012 in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Eastwood recently thrust his support behind GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who will receive his official nomination at the convention tonight.

Earlier this year, a Chrysler ad narrated by Eastwood that aired during the Super Bowl appeared to endorse President Barack Obama, prompting the actor to respond that he was not backing either candidate. He then went on to voice his support for Romney earlier this month at a fundraiser in Idaho. 

Eastwood will address the convention Thursday night in Tampa, Fla., before Romney accepts his nomination. Romney will be introduced by Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.

NBC's Kelly O'Donnell and Sue Kroll contributed to this story.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Almost two weeks ago, Missouri Republican Senate nominee Todd Akin found himself mired in controversy after his remarks about "legitimate rape" and his doubts that a woman could get pregnant after being raped. Since then, many Republican leaders have called for Akin to withdraw from the race, while some conservative leaders (like former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee) have defended him.

Recommended: First Thoughts: Mitt's moment

According to interviews with a handful of conservative women here at the Republican convention, opinions about Akin are mixed, with some believing he should remain in the contest. “I think he should stay in," said Mary Summa, an attorney and Republican activist from Charlotte, N.C. "Everybody makes a mistake. It was stupid, it was incorrect, it was wrong. But the guy’s a good man." 

But others think he should step aside. “When something happens like [Akin’s] statement, it’s disappointing to women because rape is the most awful thing that can happen to a woman,” said Suzanne Terrell, a delegate from New Orleans. 

Some of those interviewed are delegates to the convention; others are activists who have gathered here in Tampa. Here are their opinions in their own words: 

Mary Summa
Attorney and Republican activist from Charlotte, North Carolina
Member of the Republican Party Platform Committee 
“I think he should stay in.  Everybody makes a mistake. It was stupid, it was incorrect, it was wrong, but the guy’s a good man.  And he made a misstatement.  He apologized a thousand times.  You know, I think Republicans are really good at eating their own… I don’t think he should get out.  And it’s up to Missouri.  If they want him out, they can get him out.” 

“I’m very pro-life and from my perspective I think it was mountains out of molehills, and the Republicans were the ones who made mountains out of molehills.  We have got to understand – and this is my humble opinion –the inherent dignity of the human person and the right to live is the lynchpin of freedom.  And once we lose that freedom, we will lose every freedom we have.” 

Suzanne Terrell
Delegate from New Orleans, Louisiana
(Terrell runs two organizations working to elect Republican women to office: Project GoPink and ShePAC.  The organizations did not take a position on the Akin controversy, though Terrell said she thought Akin should have stepped aside.  Her organizations supported Akin’s opponent in the Missouri primary, Sarah Steelman.) 

“When something happens like [Akin’s] statement it’s disappointing to women because rape is the most awful thing that can happen to a woman.” “There are [certain] issues that women are better spokespeople on.  Perhaps the Republican Party – and I think they got it this time – needs to encourage more of that conversation, and that sensitivity, that this man clearly was lacking.”  

Natalie Lavering, a delegate from Lake Stevens, Wash., and Heidi Shaw, who is a guest of the Washington state delegation.
Natalie:  "It was an unfortunate comment." 
Heidi:  "He shouldn’t have said it.  I was disappointed in that statement… I thought he was a total idiot to say that."    

Penny Young Nance
Concerned Women for America President 
“[Akin] put not only his foot, but his entire leg in his mouth – and then he kept talking… He apologized and he should have.  Because he really blew it.   However, I don’t think it’s Washington’s place to tell the people of Missouri what to do.”

“[Akin is] pro-life.  He believes in a life exception for the mother.  He believes that in cases of rape that the rapist should be punished, but he thinks it’s still a baby, and so do I.  I have friends… that are products of rape.  And I don’t think that at the end of the day an abortion helps a woman that has been raped.  I think that it further wounds her.  And in addition to the fact that there’s 2-million parents waiting on babies.  No one has to keep a baby they don’t want.”

Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) previewed Mitt Romney's primetime convention address tonight saying it will have a mix of elements from both the “head” and the “heart.”

Ayotte is one of the many young female  GOP stars that were showcased this week at the party’s gathering in Tampa. After last week’s “rape” comments from Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO), the Republican party has had to deal with the resurgence of the abortion rights debate and talk of the “gender gap.” The party also just adopted a platform that does not include exceptions on abortion in cases of rape, incest and the life of the mother. Mitt Romney, on the other hand, does believe in having those exceptions.  

When asked how Mitt Romney's views on this square with the party, Sen. Ayotte said, "there's wide room in our party for diverse views on those issues. ... That is demonstrated [by] our nominee and many in our party who have their own personal views on these issues, and we respect that."

The freshman senator also thinks the GOP is a different party than it was under the Bush administration and has become more fiscally responsible.

"I've acknowledged that when we look at the debt this is a bipartisan issue, that Republicans spent too much and Democrats spend too much." Ayotte pointed to budget proposals from Paul Ryan to show that the GOP is not "gonna duck the tough issues."

Watch the entire PRESS Pass conversation above to hear more from Sen. Kelly Ayotte and the 2012 race, and get her reviews on some of the speeches thus far in Tampa.