Ahead of the first presidential debate this Wednesday, the Obama campaign has rejected the idea that the president will be hurling any "zingers" at opponent Mitt Romney.
"We also saw in reports that Mitt Romney and his team have been working on zingers and special lines for months," said Obama campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki, according to pool reports. "That's not what the President's focus is on. So if you're expecting that, that's probably not what he's going to deliver on. As I said, he's speaking directly to the American people and we know what they want to hear is what his plan is for moving the country forward, and that's what we're hoping he can deliver on, on Wednesday."
Psaki also said Romney's team is "bordering on the complete bizarre" by saying they'll look out for Obama to lie during the debate.
"I have seen them say that they’re watching out for the President to just spew lies during the debate," Psaki said. "So that is bordering on the complete bizarre, given that Mitt Romney’s team is the one who has said they’re not going to be dictated by facts."
Psaki did not give many details on Obama's debate preparations but said "he has had less time to prepare than we anticipated," citing events in the Middle East and an active campaign schedule.
The New York Times reported on Friday that Romney's team "has equipped him with a series of zingers that he has memorized and has been practicing on aides since August," and said the Republican's strategy "includes luring the president into appearing smug or evasive about his responsibility for the economy."
The first presidential debate is Wednesday, October 3, at the University of Denver in Denver, Colorado.