The attacks on two U.S. diplomatic outposts in the Middle East will likely be a major topic as U.S. President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney return to the campaign trial.

Mr. Romney issued a statement late Tuesday expressing his outrage over the attacks on the U.S. embassy in the Egyptian capital of Cairo and the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. He also said the Obama administration's initial response to the attack was “disgraceful,” saying the president sympathized with those who waged the attacks instead of condemning them.

The twin attacks were linked to a crude video produced in the United States by an exiled anti-Muslim Egyptian Christian that Muslims felt ridiculed Islam's Prophet Muhammed.

Mr. Romney was apparently referring to a statement released by the U.S. embassy in Cairo condemning efforts by “misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims.” The embassy's statement was released before the announcement of the death in Libya of a U.S. diplomatic official – later identified as U.S. Ambassador to Libya J. Christopher Stevens.

Responding to Mr. Romney's statement, Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt said he was “shocked” the Republican presidential candidate “would choose to launch a political attack” at a time when the United States is “confronting the tragic death of our diplomatic officers in Libya.”

Both presidential candidates took a break from media attacks and negative comments Tuesday in honor of the victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Mr. Obama is scheduled to travel to Las Vegas, Nevada, while Mr. Romney will be in Florida where his wife, Ann, will lead a campaign rally near Tampa. Former U.S. president Bill Clinton will be in Florida, campaigning for Mr. Obama in Orlando.

A handful of new voter opinion surveys show the president enjoying a post-Democratic National Convention rise in popularity. The polls were closer after the Republican convention and before the Democratic convention.