McCain and Obama face final presidential debate

15 October 2008 @ 04:47 pm EDT

Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama are heading into the third and final presidential debate tonight, a forum that will focus on economic and domestic issues.


Sen. John McCain
Republican presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., greets supporters outside the Hilton New York before boarding their motorcade in New York, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2008. McCain and Democratic presidential rival Barack Obama will debate for the third and last time Wednesday night during a 90-minute nationally televised forum focusing on the economy and domestic policy. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
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The 90-minuted debate will be held at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y. The candidates will sit face-to-face with moderator Bob Schieffer, a CBS news anchor.

Under such conditions, it will be hard for the candidates to avoid looking each other in the eye if and when they say negative things about each other or throw criticisms.

Tonight's topics, announced in September by the Commission on Presidential Debates, are critical to Obama's campaign as recent polls have shown him increasing in popularity as Americans try to decide who is better prepared to deal with the nation's financial crisis and economic downturn.

A New York Times/CBS News poll indicates that McCain has fallen as much as 14 points behind Obama - a lead that is also reflected in numerous battleground state polls.

Earlier this week, an ABC News/Washington Post poll showed Obama with a 10-point national lead.

This article is copyrighted by International Business Times.

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