Debate Looms as Attacks Increase

It's time for debate #2 between John McCain and Barack Obama. This time around, the stakes have been raised. A flurry of attacks over the weekend first by McCain, then by Obama, could make this the face-off where there are fireworks. It's been common knowledge for awhile now that the Republican standard bearer would try to shift the focus of the campaign from the economy to Obama's character. So that's exactly what McCain and his minions did over the weekend. Former radical William Ayers was resurrected as if he and Obama together were plotting together to blow up buildings in the late '60s. When Obama was eight years old.

Not content to bring up Ayers, Sarah Palin, who just told an audience a day earlier that Americans want to focus on the economy, health care, and jobs, brought up the need to further discuss Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Back in April, McCain said he didn't want his campaign using Rev. Wright against Obama. I guess Palin didn't get the e-mail.

Obama responded in kind, for a change. His campaign brought up McCain's membership in the Keating Five, that group of Senators who got caught up in the late '80s savings and loan fiasco that cost US taxpayers billions. McCain trotted out his former lawyer, who said the entire affair was a plot by Democrats. Huh? Four of the five senators cited were Democrats. So much for logic.

As has been the case throughout the campaign, the timing of McCain-Palin couldn't have been worse. They go after character on a day the stock market dropped 800 points in midday. It was a day the experts could say with a straight face that a 363 point final decline was good news. And McCain and Pali are talking about William Ayers and Jeremiah Wright.

That's why much is at stake tonight when the pair get together in Tennessee. It's a town hall setting, supposedly McCain's strong suit.

But that was before the economy went south, along with McCain's poll numbers.