Verdict on the final debate: a draw
There was only one clear winner in the third and final debate of the presidential campaign: Joe the Plumber.
Obama was forced to debate economic policy on McCain's terms - Joe's terms - to the point of noting "that includes you, Joe" when insisting his health-care plan would lower costs.
But McCain had his awkward moments. As in the previous two debates, the split-screen images portrayed the Arizona senator as uncomfortable and even agitated - in contrast to the consistently cool, smiling demeanor of the Illinois senator. McCain was at his worst during the exchanges over the tenor of the campaign; even as he tried to denounce the excesses of both sides, he could not resist shots about Obama's relationship with William Ayers, founder of the radical Weather Underground.
Obama came across as cautious at times, which was not surprising considering his lead in the polls. But he had several positive pop-out moments, such as his superior articulation of his health-care policy.
The pace of the debate kept the candidates from diving deep into the details of their economic plans, but there were overriding themes: most of all, Obama clearly favors a more activist government role on trade and business regulation. And there was no doubt about which candidate supports choice on abortion(Obama does, McCain doesn't) and school vouchers (McCain does, Obama doesn't).