WASHINGTON – A fired-up Barack Obama surprised many on Tuesday night with an aggressive performance in the second presidential debate, offering a striking contrast from his weak performance in Denver two weeks ago. American TV network polls declared Obama as the winner in the debate. A snap CNN/ORC International poll showed 46% of respondents thought Obama won, compared to 39% for Republican candidate Mitt Romney. Related stories: Obama, Romney clash over economy, Libya Poll: Romney takes lead among likely voters Obama, Romney spar over domestic policies Moreover, 73% said Obama did better than expected, compared to 37% who said the same about Romney. However, a closer look at the poll suggests that while a narrow majority of Americans believe Obama is better at foreign policy, they favor Romney as far as the economy is concerned. It is therefore uncertain whether the incumbent president managed to change the public's positions on that front, having suffered a major blow from Romney in the first debate. A survey conducted immediately after the debate showed that 61% of watchers did not think Obama had presented a clear plan to solve America's problems. Only 38% believed he had. Asked the same about Romney, 50% of the respondents said yes while 49% said no. Both in pink. Michelle Obama and Ann Romney (Photo: Reuters) A CBS survey that polled 525 undecided voters showed that 37% thought Obama had won the debate while 30% said Romney was the winner. Obama's political adviser David Axelrod said after the debate that Romney had been "pushed into a corner" and exposed for his weaknesses. Romney adviser Ed Gillespie on the other hand claimed that the Massachusetts governor maintained his momentum. Asked about Romney's inability to control the debate as he did in Denver, Gillespie said that content rather than style will determine the election and that there was no change on that front. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Receive Ynetnews updates directly to your desktop