WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama has said that Americans are facing a stark choice between him or a return to the policies of George W Bush under Republican rival Mitt Romney.

“This election presents a choice between two fundamentally different visions – of how to stimulate growth, how to pay down our debt and most importantly how to create jobs,” Obama said.

Obama pointed out that Bush had driven the country into the financial crisis, after turning its budget surpluses into deficits and failing to stimulate job growth.

“If you want to give the policies of the last decade another try, you should vote for Mr Romney,” The Telegraph quoted him, as saying.

Obama attempted to tie Romney's plans to those of ‘his allies in Congress’, whose ‘approval ratings are at historic lows, and who have demanded an extension to tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, refused to enact a jobs bill, and blocked investment in clean energy.’

According to the paper, Obama’s remarks came in the wake of concerns among Democrats that his claim to be overseeing green shoots of economic recovery was not resonating with struggling voters.