McCain Maverick

The two presidential candidates clashed Friday night over taxes, spending and national security as Sen. Barack Obama painted his rival as a loyal supporter of failed Republican policies while Sen. John McCain charged that his Democratic challenger was a naive liberal who "doesn't understand" the world's most grave challenges.

With tens of millions of Americans watching, both men gave little ground in a debate that was supposed to focus solely on foreign affairs but frequently drifted into questions of the current economic crisis.

Mr. McCain pointedly distanced himself from Mr. Bush, calling himself a "maverick of the Senate."

SCARY POINT ...Almost leads one to think of his stubbornness to the right info or suggestions made by his cabinet.His preoccupation with "getting into the office" has shown his one-sided agenda...win the presidency at any cost.

"I have opposed the president on spending, on climate change, on torture of prisoners, on Guantanamo Bay … on the way that the Iraq war was conducted. I have a long record and the American people know me very well," the Republican candidate said, portraying himself as better equipped to bring bipartisan consensus to Washington.

Trying to distance himself from bush, he stammered on.

"Senator Obama has the most liberal voting record in the Senate," Mr. McCain said at one point.

Mr. Obama shot back, "Mostly that's just me opposing George Bush's wrong-headed policies."

Both men said they are likely to support the Wall Street bailout package being crafted in Washington, but Mr. Obama went farther, blaming the problem on Mr. Bush and Mr. McCain.

"We've had years in which the reigning economic ideology has been what's good for Wall Street, but not what's good for Main Street," Mr. Obama said.

"TOUCHE" !

Just hours before the debate it had been unclear whether it would even take place. Mr. McCain had proposed postponing the affair so he and Mr. Obama could help broker a bailout agreement in Washington. He also unilaterally suspended his campaign ads.


But Mr. Obama refused to delay the debate, arguing presidents must handle more than one issue. And facing pressure from even within his own party, Mr. McCain reversed course Friday morning, saying that even though no deal was done he felt good enough about its progress to restart his campaign.

Little new ground was broken on the Iraq war, with Mr. Obama saying Mr. McCain was wrong to vote for the war in 2002 and Mr. McCain accusing Mr. Obama of being wrong on how to save the war effort.

"The next president of the United States is going to have to decide how we leave, when we leave, and what we leave behind," not whether to invade, Mr. McCain said, repeatedly criticizing Mr. Obama for opposing the troop surge that has helped quell violence.

But Mr. Obama said by joining Mr. Bush in supporting the war at the beginning, Mr. McCain cannot see a path out.

"John, you like to pretend like the war started in 2007. You talk about the surge, the war started in 2003," he said. "And at the time, when the war started, you said it was going to be quick and easy. You said we knew where the weapons of mass destruction were. You were wrong. You said that we were going to be greeted as liberators. You were wrong."