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.

Washington, Oct. 8 : John McCain is heading to near-certain defeat in the presidential election because American voters no longer trust Republicans on the economy, a strategist for the party warned yesterday.

Steve Lombardo, who has worked on Republican campaigns since 1992 and advised McCain''s opponent, Mitt Romney, in the primaries, said it would take a major external event, such as a terrorist attack or a crippling error by Barack Obama, for McCain to make a comeback.

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 : John McCain faces a daunting challenge – to end America''s fear over the possibility of the economy collapsing.

According to the New York Daily News, that is “simply too high a hurdle for an underdog to overcome in a single debate.”

With the stock market crate ring another 500 points yesterday, McCain wasn''t able to achieve his most critical objective: changing the subject to more favorable turf.

New York, Oct. 8 : Republican presidential nominee John McCain has failed to score with the veterans issues, while Democratic rival Barack Obama has fared better.

The New York-based national veterans advocacy group graded every member of Congress on how he or she voted on major issues affecting 1.7 million vets from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. McCain got a ‘D’ while Obama got a ‘B’.

Washington, Oct. 8: Has Republican presidential candidate John McCain been successful in fudging details of his flying career as a pilot in the US Navy.

Controversy has surrounded a series of crashes involving planes piloted by McCain, but if facts are to be gone by, the US Navy says that he cannot be blamed for any of those incidents.