Third time's the charm

October 15, 2008 HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- If the knock against their two previous debates was that they were kind of boring, John McCain and Barack Obama made up for lost time in their final debate. With 20 days before the election and behind in the polls, McCain took the offensive on fronts that included the negative turns the campaigns have taken, Obama's health-care plan, ACORN, his association with a former weatherman and remarks by Congressman John Lewis about the tone of the McCain campaign on issues of race. A supporting player -- at least for McCain -- was "Joe the Plumber," also known as Joe Wurzelbacher of Toledo, Ohio, whom Obama met on the campaign trail on Sunday.

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