Time Has Come: Obama or McCain? You Choose.... Your Vote is Important to the USA.

John McCain, needing to reignite his faltering presidential campaign, accused Barack Obama in their final debate of waging class warfare with his tax plans and lashed out at the Democrats efforts to link him to George W. Bushs unpopular presidency. "Senator Obama, I am not President Bush. If you wanted to run against President Bush, you should have run four years ago," McCain said.McCain came out fighting Wednesday night in what was perhaps his last big opportunity to turn around a campaign less than three weeks before the election, but Obama emerged from the encounter relatively unscathed. McCains poll numbers have fallen as Americans appear increasingly unwilling to put another Republican in the White House at a time of financial turmoil and fears of a recession. Major U.S. stock market indexes fell nearly 8 percent or more Wednesday.The 90-minute encounter, at Hofstra University outside New York City, had the fireworks lacking in the candidates first two debates. With the rivals seated at a round table, McCain assailed Obamas character and his campaign positions on taxes, trade, abortion and other issues.McCain heatedly demanded that Obama explain his relationship with William Ayers, a Vietnam war-era radical. Obama brushed off the attack, saying he was 8 years old when Ayers was involved in anti-war activities, including the bombing of federal buildings.For all of McCains intensity, it was far from clear that he managed to undermine Obamas growing popularity. The attacks also risked a backlash: Polls have shown that personal attacks by the McCain campaign including advertisements about Ayers have backfired, alienating voters at a time that the economy is the overwhelming concern.When McCain talked about Ayers, Obama countered: "The fact that this has become such an important part of your campaign, Senator McCain, says more about your campaign than it says about me."The fact that this [Ayers] has become such an important part of your campaign, Senator McCain, says more about your campaign than it says about me." "Senator Obama, I am not President Bush. If you wanted to run against President Bush, you should have run four years ago," McCain said during the debate.As in the previous two debates, national polls showed a majority of debate watchers rated Obama the clear winner. A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll found that 58 percent of those surveyed said Obama did the best job in the debate, with 31 percent saying McCain did better. The poll was conducted by telephone with 620 adult Americans who watched the debate and had a sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.Obama lacked McCains intensity, as he looked to maintain a calm, confident, presidential demeanor and avoid mistakes that could undermine his lead. But he also leveled a few accusations of his own."One hundred percent, John, of your ads, 100 percent of them have been negative, Obama said. "Its not true, McCain retorted."It absolutely is true, said Obama, seeking the last word.McCain is currently running all negative ads, according to a study by the University of Wisconsin-Madison. But he has run a number of positive ads during the campaign.Obama, seeking to become the first black U.S. president, went into the debate ahead not only in national polls, but in surveys of most of the swing states crucial for victory. He has more money to spend than McCain and has organized a massive effort to get out the vote on Nov. 4.With few exceptions, the campaign is being waged in states that voted Republican in 2004 Virginia, Colorado, Iowa and in many of them, Obama holds a lead in the polls.McCain, a veteran senator and former Vietnam prisoner of war, has struggled as his campaign themes repeatedly changed: focusing on his experience, then his maverick reputation and, then to attacks on Obamas character. His choice of Sarah Palin, the conservative Alaska governor, has delighted many Republicans, but appears to have alienated vital independent voters.But an Obama victory is not assured. He has built up his lead only in recent weeks as the financial crisis has worsened and his lead, single digits in some polls, is hardly insurmountable.Obama has repeatedly sought to tie McCain to Bushs presidency. When Obama raised the charge early in the debate, McCain quickly responded with the comment that he was not Bush.Obama shot back that on the economy, McCain was proposing to continue Bush's policies."If Ive occasionally mistaken your policies for George Bushs policies, its because on the core economic issues that matter to the American people on tax policy, on energy policy, on spending priorities you have been a vigorous supporter of President Bush, he said.