If US Senator and Republican Party nominee John McCain entered Tuesday night's US Presidential debate in need of a game-changer -- a moment that swung the tide of public opinion back in his favour -- he didn't get it.
US Senator Barack Obama, the Democratic Party nominee, debated Senator McCain to at least a draw, with initial polling declaring Obama the debate's outright victor, which might sound the death knell for the McCain campaign, barring a dramatic shift in fortunes.
The two candidates, at times barely able to conceal their disdain for one another, debated on a range of domestic and foreign policy issues.
On the domestic front, Senator McCain insisted that taxes must be kept low to stimulate job growth, reiterated his plan for a 'spending freeze' on some programmes and pledged that the federal government would aid homeowners in risk of defaulting on their mortgages, a bold claim that many conservative commentators immediately took exception to. Click here to continue reading...
Image: Obama and McCain shake hands at the conclusion of the second presidential debate.
Text: Matthew Schneeberger | Photograph: Paul J Richards/AFP/Getty Images
Also read: Coverage: US Elections 2008
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