Washington, Oct 9: US presidential hopeful Barack Obama has revealed that he is having a tough time getting rid of smoking – but has still not giving up the hope of kicking the butt.

Barack, 47, told Men’s Health magazine he is trying to set an example by kicking the bad habit.

"There have been a couple of times during the campaign when I fell off the wagon and bummed one, and I had to kick it again," People magazine quoted Barack, as telling the mag.

Washington, Oct. 9: Republican presidential candidate John McCain uttered two words that could turn out to be the only ones people remember from Tuesday night''s presidential debate -- That one.

San Francisco - The wine was flowing, the band was blaring, and on the dance floor a Brazilian lady was showing off her sexiest samba moves with all the gusto of performer on the Copacabana beachfront.

But this was no carnival in Rio.

Rather, it was a fundraising event for Barack Obama where hundreds of ordinary Americans splashed out to support the Democratic candidate in his bid for the White House.

Washington, Oct. 8 : If McCain doesn''t quickly counter Barack Obama''s growing lead, the election will be over before November 4.

According to CBS, Obama walked away with a victory - and keeps the momentum solidly in his favor.

Most important for Obama, he went a long way to establishing his commander in chief credentials through impressive answers to national security questions on Pakistan and Afghanistan. Coming as polls show more people view him favorably as a leader, the debate should add to Obama''s lead in the key swing states.

Nashville (Tennessee, US), Oct. 8 : As long as John McCain talks about the current economic crisis in America, the Democrats will stand to gain because the crisis is being seen as a creation of a Republican administration.

According to the Globe and Mail, talking about the economy benefits Democrats rather than the Republicans, despite McCain relentlessly criticizing the Democrats for the current economic emergency.

Obama says the real root of the economic crisis is the deregulation of the financial-services sector, championed by McCain, which led to abuses by banks and insurance companies.

Washington, Oct 8: Pakistan once again emerged as one of the focal points of the debate between Democratic and Republican presidential candidates, Barack Obama and John McCain. The two rivals had the second of their three debates yesterday.

Both stuck to their earlier stances regarding tackling terrorism in Pakistan, particularly along the Pak-Afghan border.