VERNON (Connecticut): SENATOR John McCain came out fighting and maintained a steady attack in the final debate between the presidential candidates, but voters overwhelmingly awarded the bout to his rival Barack Obama.
The heat was on Mr McCain, less than three weeks before the Nov 4 election day, to halt Mr Obama's growing momentum in national polls and battleground states, but he failed to deliver a knock-out blow.
'Senator Obama, I am not President Bush. If you wanted to run against President Bush, you should have run four years ago.'
'If I have occasionally mistaken your policies for George Bush's policies, it's because on the core economic issues... you have been a vigorous supporter of President Bush.'
Baseball draws viewers from debate
LOS ANGELES - REPUBLICAN John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama's final debate of the US presidential race drew 56.5 million television viewers, falling between the audience tallies of their two previous face-offs.
Viewership of the 90-minute debate on Wednesday likely was diminished by the Fox network's baseball telecast of the decisive Game 5 victory of the Philadelphia Phillies over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series.
In fact, he appeared to hurt no one more than himself with his aggressive approach in the final face-to-face clash, as instant polls by TV networks said voters dismayed by the negative barrage had given Mr Obama a clear victory, making him the winner of all three debates.
Facing each other across a table at Wednesday night's debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, the two exchanged verbal blows on issues ranging from taxes to education.
Mr McCain threw the first punch, pouncing on Mr Obama's planned tax hikes for the wealthy as 'class warfare' and asking why he favoured raising taxes at all in an economic crisis.
But Mr Obama proved accomplished at political jujitsu, adeptly deflecting the blows and insisting that only the richest Americans would pay more in taxes.
When Mr Obama blamed the staggering budget deficit on the Bush administration, Mr McCain reared up, delivering the debate's most memorable lines: 'Senator Obama, I am not President Bush. If you wanted to run against President Bush, you should have run four years ago.'
But again Mr Obama parried effectively: 'If I have occasionally mistaken your policies for George Bush's policies, it's because on the core economic issues... you have been a vigorous supporter of President Bush.'
In another clever ploy, Mr McCain used a plumber's misgivings about Mr Obama's tax plan to paint the Democrat as an anti-business leader, squelching private enterprise and initiative in matters like health-care plans for employees.
He also brought up again Mr Obama's past association with Mr William Ayers, a rehabilitated domestic terrorist of the 60s, who served with Mr Obama on the board of a charitable trust a decade ago.
'We need to know the full extent of that relationship,' Mr McCain said, suggesting Mr Obama had evaded being honest about his ties with Mr Ayers.
He pushed the theme of dishonesty, saying his rival had broken promises to stick to public funds during his campaign, and backed out of an agreement to face off in town-hall debates.
But Mr Obama had his revenge when the discussion came to the negative turn the candidates' ad campaigns have taken.
Mr McCain accused Mr Obama of spending more on negative ads than any candidate in history, to which Mr Obama said that every ad the Republican had run in recent weeks had been negative.
'100 per cent, John, of your ads, 100 per cent of them have been negative,' Mr Obama said.
'It's not true,' Mr McCain retorted.
'It absolutely is true,' said Mr Obama, at which Mr McCain dropped the topic.
In the debate, Mr McCain seemed testy and flustered, in contrast to his rival who - as in the previous two debates - appeared calm, unruffled and restrained.
This was reflected in the results of polls taken after the debate, with 58 per cent of respondents telling a CNN poll that Mr Obama had won, compared to 31 per cent for Mr McCain. A majority also said Mr Obama was more likeable and more presidential.
Said Mr Alan Schroeder, a noted expert on presidential debates: 'Both delivered strong performances, but Obama was able to take the high road, leaving McCain to do most of the attacking.'
