Candidates Stock Up on Tough Talk

Without a game-changer, Republican strikes out in third debate, and race

(NEWSER) - John McCain turned in his best debate performance last night but couldn't turn it into the game-changer he needed, Sam Youngman writes in The Hill. McCain was fiercer this time, but he failed to score a direct hit on his unflappable opponent and didn't come up with any new arguments for himself—or against Barack Obama, Youngman notes. More»

(NEWSER) - John McCain and Barack Obama met tonight in the final presidential debate, their testiest meeting so far on a range of issues from the economy to negative campaigning, NBC reports. McCain pushed back against Obama's attempts to link him to the Bush administration. “Senator Obama, I’m not President Bush. If you want to run against President Bush, you should have run four years ago.” Obama kept it up, though, saying America doesn't need the "same failed policies." More»

Senator struggled to prove his point in last match-up

(NEWSER) - John McCain needs to sharpen his rhetorical skills before the final presidential face-off on Wednesday, debating coaches tell Politico. Whatever advice renowned trainer Brett O’Donnell is giving McCain, they say, has not helped him avoid pitfalls like looking "aimless" and saying "my friends." Voters polled after the first two debates agree: Barack Obama has the rhetorical upper hand. More»

Poll: Democrat more presidential, honest

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama slightly increased his lead over John McCain after last week’s debate and bad economic news, according to a new Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll. The Democratic candidate is up 49% to McCain's 44%, a 1% gain from last week. The results indicated less confidence among Americans that McCain will strengthen the economy and succeed in Iraq. More»

McCain team wrote 'palling around with terrorists' line: book

(NEWSER) - Sarah Palin was actually on message when she attacked Barack Obama’s relationship with former Weatherman Bill Ayers during last year's campaign, the Atlantic reports. A new book, The Battle for America, reveals that Palin received an email from top McCain staff suggesting she use the Ayers attack. It even specified the approved language. Strategists also planned to run a similar TV ad. More»