LOS ANGELES (October 8, 2012)—President Barack Obama walked on stage at a weekend celebrity-studded fundraiser after performances by such singers as Katy Perry, Jon Bon Jovi and Stevie Wonder and remarks by actor George Clooney, marveled at how they are able to perform flawlessly night after night and then said, "I can't always say the same."

It was a shot at his listless debate showing against Republican Mitt Romney on Wednesday.

Supporters in the crowd laughed at the line.

Mr. Obama was raising millions of dollars over two days of campaigning in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

He capped his night at a ritzy 150-guest dinner costing $25,000 person.

As the president tried to raise campaign cash, his surrogates were continuing to pound the theme that Mitt Romney's success in last week's debate was the result of dishonesty.

Obama strategist David Axelrod told CBS that Obama was "a little taken aback" when Romney, "walked away from his record."

Axelrod said there will be adjustments for that in the next two debates.

Romney and Mr. Obama are both airing new ads saying their opponent has distorted their positions.

Mr. Obama's ad uses debate footage to argue that Romney grossly misrepresented his own positions as well as the president’s on taxes.

Romney's campaign has a new ad claiming that Mr. Obama is not telling the truth when he says Romney wants to cut $5 trillion in taxes.

Both campaigns are preparing their running mates for Thursday's vice presidential debate, and trying to keep expectations low.

Republican Newt Gingrich suggested to NBC that GOP vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan might hold back on any hostility out of respect for Vice President Joe Biden's status as a senior statesman.