This week, the gloves started to come off.
The rapid-fire deployment of campaign ads – and video rebuttals – coupled with Democrats' perceived doubts of the president, signaled the beginning of intense competition between Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney.
In other news, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta spoke out against legislated defense cuts, the Department of Justice dropped prosecution against John Edwards and Republicans failed to nab Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' seat in a special election (the vote went to former Giffords aide Ron Barber). And Friday morning, Obama signed an order ending deportation for undocumented migrants under 30 – as many as 800,000 young people could now come forward.
With plenty of ground to cover, resident US Politics live blogger Richard Adams and columnist Ana Marie Cox will be hosting a live chat from 11.30am to 12.30pm EST Friday.
Got questions?
Leave them in the comments below or send using #USPoliticsLive on Twitter. Meanwhile, read up on what you might've missed this week:
* Obama and Romney talk economics in Ohio
* Obama's campaign troubles concern Democrats
* Top 50 Twitter accounts to follow for 2012
