President Obama has a history of coming through in the clutch, of delivering big moments with his back to the wall. There was the surprise win in the 2008 Iowa Caucus, his moving speech on race in the wake of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright's comments, and his efforts to pass his signature healthcare bill in the face of the nascent Tea Party movement.

Suddenly bruised, vulnerable and perhaps even behind in his fight for re-election, Obama will have to summon that fighting spirit once again in tonight's second debate against GOP challenger Mitt Romney.

STORY: Hollywood Reacts to the First Presidential Debate

Obama seemed to be cruising to an easy re-election in September; he was up big in polls, and Romney was making a litany of mistakes, culminating with the leaking of the infamous "47 percent" video. But the GOP nominee came out swinging against a stunned president in the first debate in Denver two weeks ago, scoring a clear victory and upending polls and expectations.

Now, polls are neck and neck -- Obama is up either two points or down four, depending on which barometer you follow -- and the president has to show that he has command of the issues facing the nation. He received some good news with the drop in unemployment two Fridays ago, and Vice President Biden was largely declared the winner of the VP Debate against the GOP's Paul Ryan, but the president still has to prove that he has the ideas and vitality to best Romney.

Will the president do that? Will it be enough? Tune in and follow along with THR's coverage to find out.