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WASHINGTON — President Obama stood shoulder to shoulder with Chris Christie, the Republican governor of New Jersey, Wednesday afternoon, offering reassurance in the wake of devastating storm damage — and a politically powerful picture of bipartisanship just days before the election.

Mr. Obama toured the storm-tossed boardwalks of New Jersey’s ravaged coastline on Wednesday in a display of big-government muscle that confronted Mitt Romney with a vexing challenge, as he returned to the campaign trail in Florida.

Mr. Obama was greeted by Mr. Christie in Atlantic City, the epicenter of the storm’s devastation. The president, placing a hand on Mr. Christie’s back, guided him to Marine One, where the two men — political antagonists-turned-partners — took a grim flight over shattered seawalls, burning houses, and a submerged roller coaster.

Mr. Christie — who has been one of Mr. Obama’s biggest critics on behalf of Mr. Romney — testified on Wednesday to the president’s personal leadership.

“I cannot thank the president enough for his personal concern and compassion for our state,” Mr. Christie said. He introduced the president, saying that it was his “honor” to present him for remarks.

Mr. Christie’s praise was striking for its departure from the political rhetoric of just a few days ago. At a rally in Richmond, Va., last week, Mr. Christie lashed out at the president, saying Mr. Obama had never learned how to lead anything, having served as a community organizer, state legislator and one-term United States senator.

“He’s like a man wandering around a dark room, hands up against the wall, clutching for the light switch of leadership, and he just can’t find it,” Mr. Christie said at the rally.

Those attacks were gone Wednesday. And Mr. Obama returned the compliment, saying that Mr. Christie “throughout this process has been responsive” and that “he’s been aggressive in making sure” that the state was prepared before the storm.

“I think the people of New Jersey recognize that he’s put his heart and soul” into the recovery after the storm. “I just want to thank him for his extraordinary leadership and participation.”

Joining the two men on a helicopter tour of the damage was W. Craig Fugate, the rumpled head of the Federal Emergency Management Administration, which has won unstinting praise from Mr. Christie, a Republican, for the speed and intensity of its response to the devastation.

Speaking to storm victims at a community center in the hard-hit town of Brigantine, Mr. Obama said, “We are going to be here for the haul.” Mr. Christie thanked the president from his visit, saying, “It’s really important to have the president of the United States acknowledge all the suffering that’s going on here in New Jersey.”

“I want to let you know that your governor is working overtime,” Mr. Obama said to people who fled to the community center as a shelter from the storm.

The tableau of bipartisan cooperation, and FEMA’s highly visible role in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, has put Mr. Romney in an awkward position during the last week of a campaign in which he has fought Mr. Obama to a virtual draw. Last year, in a debate during the Republican primaries, Mr. Romney appeared to advocate handing to the states much of the federal government’s role in dealing with major disasters.

On Wednesday, as images of Mr. Obama and Mr. Christie dominated the newscasts, Mr. Romney was in Florida, an electoral battleground that is no stranger to destructive hurricanes, where he struggled to square his small-government credo with a national disaster that seemed to cry out for a major federal response.

Before taking the stage at his first rally in Tampa, Mr. Romney issued a statement pledging to continue funding the FEMA to insure it can “fulfill its mission.”

“I believe that FEMA plays a key role in working with states and localities to prepare for and respond to natural disasters,” Mr. Romney said. But reaffirming his earlier point, he added he would channel resources to “the first responders who work tirelessly to help those in need, because states and localities are in the best position to get aid to the individuals and communities affected by natural disasters.”

Aides to Mr. Romney reiterated that Mr. Romney was not backing away from comments he made at the debate in New Hampshire in June 2011. When asked about a fierce battle in Congress over continued funding of FEMA, Mr. Romney declared, “We cannot afford to do these things without jeopardizing the future for our kids.”

Kevin Madden, a senior adviser to Mr. Romney, said the candidate still believed that states, not the federal government, should lead the response to disasters. Pressed on FEMA’s proper role, he said Mr. Romney believed that “being a partner for the states is the best approach.”

Mr. Madden, speaking to reporters as Mr. Romney flew from Miami to Tampa, declined to comment on the effectiveness of the federal response, saying it was “ongoing.”

But before and since the storm, Mr. Christie has had nothing but praise for Mr. Obama.

Asked why the president chose to visit New Jersey, his press secretary, Jay Carney, said, “We are very careful about making sure that the places that we visit we are not using resources that would otherwise be used in recovery efforts — that’s the case here.”