President Obama won't be sitting idly by next week as Republicans bash him during their convention in Tampa.

Obama will visit the swing states of Iowa, Colorado and Virginia on Tuesday and Wednesday, the middle days of the GOP confab.

Republican candidate Mitt Romney formally accepts the party's presidential nomination Thursday, the last day of the convention.

Vice President Biden will also be busy next week, visiting Florida on Monday and Tuesday.

We suspect Romney will also be busy in two weeks, when the Democrats host Obama's convention in Charlotte, N.C.

There used to be a quasi-tradition that presidential candidates would stand down during their opponent's political conventions.

Here's what the president's campaign said about next week: