TAMPA, Florida — Republican Mitt Romney moved into the critical final stretch of his campaign to unseat President Barack Obama, telling voters in his most important speech to date that they can “trust him to restore the promise of America," but he offered few details about his plans to fix an ailing economy and a politically divided nation. The former Massachusetts governor accepted his party's presidential nomination Thursday night with a speech that repeatedly brought the partisan crowd to its feet in the final act of the 2012 Republican National Convention, which featured speech after speech lambasting Obama for his economic failures and promising to deny him a second term. “America has been patient," Romney told millions in the nationally televised speech. “Americans have supported this president in good faith. But today, the time has come to turn the page." The Romney campaign said Friday that he planned to visit damage in Louisiana from Hurricane Isaac, whose approach this week delayed the convention in Florida by a day. Romney's speech outlined lofty goals — making the US energy independent, slashing the deficit and creating 12 million jobs — but did not say how he would do it. He also seemed to make light of Obama's concerns about the earth's deteriorating environment and climate change. “President Obama promised to begin to slow the rise of the oceans. And to heal the planet. My promise is to help you and your family," Romney said in a mostly inward-looking speech that focused on domestic affairs. Romney failed to mention the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan or how to cope with illegal immigration. The normally reserved Romney capped the high-energy convention with a spirited and unusually personal speech, touching on his Mormon faith and recounting his youth. The cheers were loud and frequent, surely music to the ears of a candidate who struggled throughout the bruising primary season and beyond to bury doubts among many in his party that he is an authentic conservative. Romney, for example, pledged to “protect the sanctity of life," a reference to conservatives' opposition to abortion, even though there are clear differences on the issue between him and running mate Rep. Paul Ryan. Romney said this week he is in favor of abortion in cases of rape, incest and the health and life of the mother. His speech focused more on the economy. “Now is the time to restore the promise of America," Romney declared. Polls show Romney and Obama tied as they plan to spend the weeks before the November election in a handful of competitive states and meet in a series of one-on-one debates. Strikingly absent from Romney's speech and campaign were detailed explanations of how he would tame deficit spending while cutting taxes and expanding the military. — AP
