TAMPA (Florida) - THE campaigns of Barack Obama and John McCain swapped charges of 'low-road' politics and 'abetting' corruption on Wednesday, a day after the presidential candidates engaged in a tense but civil debate.

Democratic vice-presidential nominee Joe Biden accused Republican McCain of waging a campaign of fear with his advertisements questioning Mr Obama's character and told a rally in Tampa that Mr McCain's running mate was making 'the most outrageous inferences.'

Debate drew 63.2m viewers LOS ANGELES - THE second nationally televised presidential debate between Mr John McCain and Mr Barack Obama drew 63.2 million viewers, over 10 million more than watch their first, Nielsen Media Research said on Wednesday. But the audience for the town-hall-style matchup between the Republican senator from Arizona and the Democrat from Illinois was still smaller than the nearly 70 million who tuned in for the clash between their vice presidential candidates, Alaska Gov Sarah Palin and Delaware Sen Joe Biden. -- REUTERS ... more

Mr McCain has been running ads asking 'Who is the real Barack Obama?' while his vice-presidential running mate, Sarah Palin, has accused the Illinois senator of being friends with a 1960s radical she has labelled a 'domestic terrorist.'

The Arizona senator renewed his criticism of Democrat Obama on Wednesday, accusing him of abetting corruption that helped lead to the current global financial crisis.

Mr McCain's campaign tried again to link Mr Obama to Mr Bill Ayers, a former member of the 1960s-era militant Weather Underground, which was involved in bombings when Mr Obama was 8 years old.

Mr Obama has said he knows Mr Ayers, now an Illinois academic, only slightly and has denounced his actions with the Weather Underground.

Mr McCain has repeatedly accused Mr Obama of taking donations from mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which were taken over by the government recently. Mr Obama counters by noting that one of Mr McCain's aides lobbied for Freddie Mac.

The latest spate of charges came a day after the two presidential nominees met for their second debate before the Nov 4 election. They largely avoided personal attacks during the debate, but both campaigns were in a belligerent mode on Wednesday.

Mr McCain, appearing with Mrs Palin at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, accused Mr Obama and congressional Democrats of promoting policies that led to the current debt and credit crisis.

'This corruption was encouraged by Democrats in Congress and abetted by Senator Obama,' he said. Some in the crowd later took up the chant of 'Liar, Liar' as Mr McCain accused Mr Obama of failing to deliver on his promises from earlier campaigns.

The Obama campaign has tried to portray Mr McCain as angry and erratic. Mr Biden took up that theme, telling supporters at a fundraiser, 'What you are seeing is an angry man.'

The Delaware senator charged that Mr McCain and Mrs Palin, the Alaska governor, were smearing Mr Obama with unfounded innuendoes and said Mr McCain was trying to 'take the low road to the highest office in the land.'

'They are attacking Barack Obama in the ugliest of ways,' he said. 'Ladies and gentlemen, this is beyond disappointing. This is wrong.' -- REUTERS