Debate 3

The third presidential debate has been referred to, with some justification, as John McCain's last stand. After a string of bad news in the polls, coupled with a widespread perception that Barack Obama won the first two debates, McCain now needs the third debate to be a convincing victory.

As a result, we can expect McCain to go all out for victory this time around. He will be trying to avoid the mistakes that affected his performance in the previous two debates, such as failing to look his opponent in the eye, or the farcical "that one" comment. In terms of content, expect attacks on Obama's character. William Ayers, Tony Rezko, and Jeremiah Wright will probably be referenced, as well as Obama's youth and lack of experience.

In addition, McCain needs to sound strong on economic issues. His latest plan, a $300,000,000,000 mortgage bailout, needs to be fleshed out, and sold to a sceptical audience. He needs to remind people that foreign policy will be a central part of the next president's term, and that this is where he is strongest. He must, above all, avoid appearing uncertain, or making any major gaffes.

For Barack Obama, the challenge is perhaps simpler. All he needs to do is avoid a major error, and in this case a draw will be as good as a win for him. He is likely to have a lot of mud flung at him by McCain, and not losing his cool in the face of this will be important. He may take the opportunity to raise questions about McCain's involvement in the Keating Scandal in the 1980s, though the efficacy of this might be doubtful.

Each candidate will try to frame the debate around their strengths. Obama has to make sure that he retains his lead on economic issues, while McCain will have to find some way of undercutting this. McCain will also have to try and make inroads into Obama's healthcare plans. As the stockmarket has gone downhill, a large number of elderly Americans now find their financial security at risk, and polls have consistently shown that people believe that Obama is more likely to fix the healthcare crisis.

Barack Obama and John McCain have different objectives from this debate. Obama must try to stay cool and solidify the public perceptions of him as a better manager of the economy and healthcare, while McCain has to damage Obama enough, either through refuting his policies or attacking his character, to bring himself back into the race. If he fails to do so, his already dwindling chances in this campaign will look even slimmer.