The American people saw a more energized and more aggressive President Obama battling an on-edge, slightly belligerent Governor Romney at last night's presidential debate held at the Hofstra University campus in Hempstead, New York.

In the second of three presidential debates designed to aid Americans in deciding who to vote for on November 6, President Obama operated with more alacrity and pomp than he did in the first of the debates on October 3.

He addressed his concerns, which many think he neglected to call Republican rival Mitt Romney on during the last debate, about his opponent's stand on terrorism, his business records, his take on immigration and his position on unemployment.

Debate moderator Candy Crowley of CNN served as a well-needed fulcrum for the opponents who appeared determined to "get at each other." She facilitated the questions being asked by the undecided voters at the town hall as well as kept each candidate in line, clarifying for and correcting them when the need arose.

Borrowing a strategy used skillfully by Romney in the last debate, Obama offered a point-by-point illustration to answer the first question from student about expectations concerning post-college job security.

He then ridiculed Romney's five-point plan, saying his opponent doesn't have a five-point plan, but a one-point plan: to make sure that people at the top get a special set of rules for play.

Romney drilled away at Obama on several points, particularly concerning the Benghazi, Libya. tragedy. He claimed it took the Obama administration too long to tell the American people that it was a terrorist act, instead blaming an anti-Muslim video. He then went on to question Obama's Middle East policy.

Crowley corrected Romney, interjecting, "He did in fact sir."

Romney continued on the offensive position for much of the night. 

"The American people saw a Romney that they saw at the first debate. He was assertive, he was sure of himself, he was factual and the president was on defense," Republican strategist Bradley A. Blakeman told Newsmax. "He couldn't justify the record that he had promised in 2008. It wasn't delivered in 2012. And I think that Romney did himself a service tonight.

Obama accused Romney of exploiting the Benghazi attack for political point scoring without fact-checking and verifications.

"When Gov. Romney stands here, after a year of campaigning, when during a Republican primary he stood on stage and said 'I'm going to give tax cuts' - he didn't say tax rate cuts, he said 'tax cuts to everybody,' including the top 1 percent. You should believe him because that's been his history. And that's exactly the kind of top-down economics that is not going to work if we want a strong middle class and an economy that's striving for everybody," Obama said, according to the Washington Post.

One of the memorable lines for the night was Romney's "binder full of women," when he attempted to substantiate why women were sought after to diversify his gubernatorial cabinet in the state of Massachusetts. He used this as an example for why women deserve equal representation and pay in the workforce.

And, finally, the last zinger for the night was the president's reference to the 47 percent comment made by Romney, claiming the governor believes that 47 percent of Americans consider they are "victims and refuse personal responsibility."

Obama said he will fight for the 47 percent of Americans because they are the people who are elderly, who live on Social Security and are even military veterans.

In all, the energy was high the entire night, a much needed turn of events from the last debate.

The final presidential debate will be held Monday, October 22 at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida.