The race is on

Romney has been campaigning as the Republican candidate for months, but his speech on Thursday was America's first official glimpse of the party's candidate on the national stage. His speech began by looking back at the day in 2008 when Obama was elected president.

"Tonight I'd ask a simple question: if you felt that excitement when you voted for Obama, shouldn't you feel that way now that he's President Obama?" he said. "You know there's something wrong with the kind of job he's done as president when the best feeling you had was the day you voted for him."

He went on to tout his experience as a business man, which he said puts him in a better position than Obama to create jobs in America.

"What is needed in our country today is not complicated or profound. It doesn't take a special government commission to tell us what America needs," Romney said. "What America needs is jobs. Lots of jobs."

Romney went on to lay out further aspects of his campaign platform, pledging, as part of a 5-step plan, to create 12 million jobs as well as make North America energy independent by 2020. He also said he would take a tougher stance on Iran's nuclear program and in relations with Russia's President Vladimir Putin.

Prior to Romney's speech, Hollywood star Clint Eastwood gave a humorous speech to warm up the crowd, speaking to an imaginary Barack Obama sitting in a stool next to the stage.

On Wednesday in Tampa, Romney's running mate Paul Ryan gave a speech attacking Obama's economic policies.

Romney's wife, Ann Romney, took the stage on Tuesday for a speech designed to give a personal glimpse of her husband who some say has a difficult time relating to people.

mz/ccp (AFP, Reuters)