A subdued Barack Obama squared off Wednesday against a sharp and eloquent Mitt Romney in their hotly anticipated first presidential debate, a showdown that gave Americans an unfiltered glimpse of both men just a month before the Nov. 6 election.

The incumbent president's often meandering answers to questions, rife with halting pauses, were in stark contrast to the lively Romney, who often talked over debate moderator Jim Lehrer to energetically tout his domestic policy proposals while criticizing
Obama's.  ``Gasoline prices have doubled under the president,'' Romney said. ``Electric rates are up. Food prices are up. Health-care costs have gone up by $2,500 a family. Middle-income families are being crushed. Look at the evidence of the last four years. It's
absolutely extraordinary.''
    
The president, indeed, seemed grim and tentative throughout much of the debate, often staring down at his notes with a pained smile as Romney forcefully defended himself against uneven attacks from Obama on everything from his job creation plans to his tax and education policies.
   
According to a CNN/ORC International poll of registered voters who watched the nationally televised event, 67 percent of those surveyed said Romney fared better, compared with 25 percent for Obama, according to results aired on CNN after the match concluded. 46 percent said they found Romney more likable, compared with 45 percent for Obama.

The CNN poll interviewed 430 Americans by telephone after the debate and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.

(with some files from AP)