World News Story

23 November 2008 11:05 BST

Obama v McCain – As it happened

Welcome to inthenews.co.uk's live coverage of the second of three presidential debates between Barack Obama and John McCain.

Democratic nominee Mr Obama is widely perceived to have won the first debate between the two White House hopefuls, and with Republican candidate Mr McCain slipping behind in the polls, he can ill afford a second defeat.

Hit refresh to see the latest updates from the town hall-format debate at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, which is due to start at 20:00 local time (02:00 BST).

You can also keep track of our running debate score, with knockout blows or gaffes affecting the candidates' scores.

With Matthew Champion

(All times BST)

03:35 - The candidates obscure Tom Brakow's autocue as they shake hands. They mingle with the crowd and shake hands as the debate closes. As with last week's debate, it looks like Obama has edged it. The Democratic nominee was overly-verbose but did not, as McCain did, repeat lines from previous debates and, unfortunately for the Republican nominee, the night itself. You can be sure that McCain's campaign will be censuring him on the "my friends" overuse.

Final score: Obama 5-4 McCain

03:32 - "What's going to happen - both here and abroad. The challenges we face are unprecedented," is McCain's answer. "What I don't know is what the unexpected will be..." Echoes of Donald Rumsfeld?

03:30 - The last question of the evening - "What don't you know and how will you learn it?" Obama is first up to answer the "zen-like" question and says his wife Michelle is more qualified to answer. He emphasises what he does know; that the same American dream enabled him to be in his current position is under threat.

03:28 - Obama says the US should use all the tools at its disposal to prevent Iran from gaining nuclear weapons. He counts diplomacy and an end to oil dependancy among those tools. He criticises isolation of Tehran and North Korea; which he says pushed them to expand their nuclear capacity.

03:25 - A specific question on protocol if Iran attacked Israel. If Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - conspicuous by his absence in the debate so far - attacked Israel McCain believes Russia and China would still oppose US retaliation in the UN security council. McCain repeats the line that Obama wanted to talk with Ahmadinejad without preconditions.

03:21 - A resurgent Russia is one of the biggest challenges for the next president, Obama says. More support is needed for other former Soviet republics. McCain answers a question on whether Russia is an evil empire with "maybe".

03:18 - McCain says he wants Afghan civilians to have "normal lives" like Iraqis. On a question on Russia he rejects talk of a new cold war but admits he once looked into the eyes of Vladimir Putin and saw three letters: "K-G-B." Ukraine is next in Russia's sights after Georgia, he warns.

03:14 - Obama hits back - almost going as far to accuse McCain of being a warmonger over military action in Iran and Afghanistan. McCain is not happy at the accusation, as both rivals ask for follow-up time. McCain uses his to repeat his shock at Obama's comments on Pakistan. He insists he knows how to find Osama Bin Laden but will not "telegraph his punches" like his Democratic rival.

Obama 5-4 McCain

03:11 - McCain's hero is now apparently Teddy Roosevelt, who said you had to "walk softly, talk softly and carry a big stick". "Senator Obama wants to talk loudly," McCain says, revisiting comments from the Illinois senator that he would attack Pakistan if necessary. McCain's dialogue and diction is not so easy as he began more than an hour ago.

03:09 - Tricky one for Obama - Pakistani sovereignty. McCain is itching to get in on this. We can't coddle a dictator (Pervez Musharraf) and give him billions of dollars, Obama says, instead he wants an increase to non-military aid. "If the Pakistani government is unwilling to take them [al-Qaida] out... we must act.

03:06 - McCain misses out on a knockout blow by saying "my friends" twice in one sentence. He also repeats himself on Ronald Reagan - his "hero" - and America's most precious resource, its blood.

03:04 - There are moral issues at stake in foreign intervention, Obama says, asking the audience if anyone would turn down the opportunity to prevent the Holocaust. Obama on Darfur: We could be providing logistical support, but we can only do it if we can mobilise the international community and lead.

03:01 - "Senator McCain says I don't understand, and there is something I don't understand - why we went into a country that had nothing to do with 9/11," Obama says in reply. He accuses McCain of "cheerleading" for Bush. When Obama mentions Iraq, McCain can not be far from mentioning the Democrat nominee's call for a timetable for withdrawal.

02:59 - The debate moves on to foreign policy. McCain was already on his feet in anticipation. "We are peacekeepers," he says, but claims that only someone with experience can judge when to send troops into conflict areas around the world. "Senator Obama was wrong about Iraq and the surge, he was wrong about Georgia, and in his short career he does not understand foreign policy challenges. We don't have time for on-the-job training."

02:56 - Obama says there is a "fundamental difference" between himself and McCain on healthcare. He mentions his 53-year-old mother dying from cancer, arguing from her deathbed with insurance officials whether she was suffering from a pre-existing condition. McCain believes in deregulation in every aspect of government, he adds.

02:55 - McCain makes a joke about hair transplants. He is a lot more at home than Obama, who is lecturing in most of his answers.

02:50 - Obama: Healthcare is the issue I get asked about the most often. We have a moral and economic imperative to do something about the crisis, he continues. He pledges to deliver the same healthcare that he and McCain enjoy to all Americans. Obama goes on the attack over McCain's healthcare policies: 'When he gives, he takes away.'

02:48 - Tom Brakow warns the candidates to watch the red lights signifying their time is up. McCain's discussion answer tries to qualify Obama's comments he voted against greener fuels, but should not really refer to his rival as "that one". "My friends" is starting to grate.

02:45 - Five million new jobs can be created, "easily", Obama says in the green industries. He says green technologies could be the engine that drives America into the future. "I favour nuclear power as one component of our overall energy mix," he adds. McCain voted 23 times against alternate fuels. "It's easy to talk about this stuff during a campaign... but it requires a sustained effort from the next president."

Obama 4-3 McCain

02:42 - But he then threatens to undo his gains by cutting Tom Brakow off mid-question to suggest Obama was dodging the issue. "I'll answer the question, Tom." He is also repeating his well-worn "my friends" line too often.

02:38 - McCain is playing a delicate game. He had been expected to tone down his attacks on Obama to avoid appearing aggressive in front of the town hall crowd. He is choosing his words carefully and timing them to perfection - Obama is not being allowed to retort due to the rules of the debate. Obama in contrast has so far repeated his well-publicised policies and pushed the association between McCain and George Bush. McCain is edging ahead overall.

Obama 2-3 McCain

02:35 - Obama has his tax policies compared to "nailing jello to a wall" by McCain. McCain says he does not want to raise taxes, especially on the wealthiest Americans. Instead he wants to cut the tax burden on everyday citizens. Obama is shotdown when trying to come back on McCain's own response.

Obama 2-2 McCain

02:31 - Obama turns to September 11th in answering a question on sacrifices the electorate must make. Everyone must help the economy and environment by becoming more fuel efficient. A confusing answer.

02:28 - McCain admits many programmes may have to be eliminated, and he's not talking about Heroes. Defence over-spending is in his sights, but the army is one area that would be safe from his proposed spending freeze. He disagrees with Obama's earlier statement that his administration would prioritise. "We are not rifle-shots - we are Americans."

02:24 - McCain on his priorities: You cannot prioritise health, energy or social services - they are all equally important. Obama disagrees - you have to prioritise. Energy has to be dealt with today he says. He compares his plan to end foreign oil dependency to JFK promising to get a man on the moon. America's broken healthcare system and education are next on Obama's list. He is also taking much longer than the allotted one minute, drawing further censure from Tom Brokaw.

Obama 2-1 McCain

02:21 - The system in Washington is broken, McCain says, mirroring a line of attack by Conservative party leader David Cameron. Hitting back at Obama's doubting of his maverick persona, McCain says Obama has never disagreed with his party's hierarchy. McCain is clearly taking longer than his designated two minutes.

02:20 - National debt has doubled in the last eight years under George Bush, Obama points out. Senator McCain voted for four out of five of the Bush administration's budgets, he points out. "We've got to make spending cuts... I am cutting more than I am spending... there will be a net spending cut," Obama explains to a question on trust.

02:18 - McCain says the American workers are the "innocent bystanders" of the worst economic crisis in living memory.

02:14 - Obama's turn, and McCain has been "bragging" about financial deregulation. McCain is being painted as a deregulating monster by Obama.

02:12 - Obama and his cronies were responsible for the demise of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, McCain claims. The bailout is necessary to preserve the American dream, he adds.

Obama 1-1 McCain

02:11 - Tom Brokaw lays down the law. The candidates are taking too long to convey their point.

02:10 - Obama says Warren Buffett would be a fine choice for US treasury secretary after McCain is initially caught off guard and jokes that Tom Brokaw would not be in the running.

Obama 1-0 McCain

02:07 - The power of the town hall debates is already becoming obvious. Having the future leader of the free world answer a question directly in front of you will surely make up the majority of the swing voters' minds tonight. McCain's campaign team says Obama has turned down ten previous requests to debate in this fashion. The 72-year-old is by far the more experienced of the two at the town hall-format.

02:06 - McCain's turn, and he walks right to the question-asker. "I have a plan to fix this problem, and it's to do with energy independence," he says. Keep taxes low is the Arizona senator's first message.

02:03 - What's the most positive, fastest way to help the American people out of their economic problems? That's the first question that goes to Obama, who is instantly on his feet to answer... which he does by criticising the previous eight years of the Bush administration - which McCain implicitly and explicitly supported. As the Illinois senator elaborates he advocates a bailout for the middle class; lowered taxes and fixes to the healthcare and energy systems.

02:02 - 80 undecided voters are in the audience for tonight's debate. Tom Brokaw says he hopes for a "wide-ranging discussion" as Obama and McCain take to the floor.

01:40 - Our moderator for tonight's town hall debate is NBC News' Tom Brokaw. Hopefully he will do a better job at ensuring the candidates answer the questions put to them than Gwen Ifill did with regards to McCain's running-mate Sarah Palin last week.