Bush and McCain: A Rocky Road, With Switchbacks

Candidates won't be as easily able to duck pointed questions in tonight's debate format

(NEWSER) - The presidential candidates will be walking into a lion’s den tonight, forced to face those most dangerous of creatures: undecided voters. The town-hall debate could be a “snooze-fest,” writes John Dickerson on Slate, but there’s also a chance “Ponytail Guy”—the town-haller who famously befuddled George H.W. Bush in 1992—will show up. If that happens, John McCain could be in trouble. More»

Hopefuls headed to DC today to discuss 'flawed' $700B rescue

(NEWSER) - Both presidential candidates will meet with George W. Bush for talks on the proposed $700 billion bailout of financial firms today, CNN reports. John McCain and Barack Obama released a joint statement on the financial crisis last night, agreeing that the plan was flawed but that "the effort to protect the American economy must not fail." More»

McCain, Obama each blame the other for negative campaign

(NEWSER) - John McCain and Barack Obama would prefer to steer the White House race out of the gutter and back onto the high road, writes David Broder in the Washington Post reports. In separate interviews, both candidates expressed frustration with the tone and direction of the campaign over the last two months and the tit-for-tat blows. More»

Among them: Obama is a bit like Bush, and he needs to strike back harder at Mac

(NEWSER) - Here are five things we learned in the wake of Barack Obama’s overseas trip, via John Heilemann in New York:

• Obama's got guts: The trip was “risky business, fraught with peril”—but we know now that he's willing to gamble if the potential payout is right.
• His team is great, but imperfect: The trip once again proved the organizational brilliance of his aides, but the non-visit of troops in Germany gave McCain ammo.

Republicans say his stubbornness on Iraq reminiscent of president

(NEWSER) - The McCain camp borrowed a page from its rivals today with a new tack on Barack Obama: He looks a whole lot like George W. Bush. McCain's national security adviser took Obama to task for the rigidity of his Iraq strategy, the Huffington Post reports. "I think the American people have had enough of stubbornness and inflexibility in national security policy,” said Randy Scheunemann. More»