WASHINGTON (AP)--Middle East violence is shaking up a presidential race that otherwise looks stubbornly stable, and tight.

President Barack Obama holds a tiny edge, Mitt Romney is seeking a break-through message, and three debates are ahead in the final seven weeks.

Republicans and Democrats agree the election probably will be decided on Obama's jobs-and-economy record. Both campaigns are gearing up for the new week by trying to shift the focus back to that issue.

But foreign policy grabbed the attention when protesters attacked U.S. diplomats and missions in the Mideast, and it's unclear when it will recede.

Obama is launching an aggressive effort to convince voters in the most competitive states that his economic policies are working and that Romney is risking the recovery with a plan that caters to millionaires.

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