But last night's town-hall-style televised debate did not give McCain much room to shift the topic of discussion. After all, two-thirds of the 90-minute encounter with Democrat Barack Obama dealt with Americans' economic struggles.

McCain made the best of it, with a new proposal to have the Treasury buy up bad mortgages and renegotiate them to more favorable terms based on diminished home values.

"Is it expensive? Yes," McCain said. "But we all know, my friends, until we stabilize home values in America, we're never going to start turning around and creating jobs and fixing our economy, and we've got to get some trust and confidence back to America."

The Arizona senator even made a stab at Clintonian empathy, moving in close to the first questioner and saying he understands that "Americans are angry, they're upset, and they're a little fearful."

In the last few days, the McCain campaign has stepped up its attacks on Obama's character, for instance seeking to tie him to William Ayers, a Chicago acquaintance who was a member of the violent 1960s Weather Underground.

Such concerns did not come up last night. It would have been risky for McCain to attack in such an intimate setting, the two men six feet apart, unarmored by bulky lecterns.

Undecided and independent voters he needs tend to not like negative attacks, and analysts said McCain needed to avoid antagonizing them and fueling latent concerns about his temperament.

In their previous debate, McCain wouldn't even look at Obama. This time, he was friendlier, but also at times seemed to convey barely concealed disdain for his younger rival.

'That one'

"Nailing down Sen. Obama's tax proposals is like nailing Jello to a wall," he said at another point.

At another he referred to Obama as "that one."

Obama scored points tying the economic crisis to deregulation, which McCain has pushed throughout his career, and took every opportunity to connect his opponent to the unpopular President Bush.

The Illinois senator also was firm on foreign-policy questions, considered McCain's strength. "We will kill bin Laden, we will crush al-Qaeda," Obama said. "This has to be our urgent national priority."

'Thanks!'

At one point last night, Obama disputed the idea that he is "green behind the ears," while McCain is somber and sober. "Thanks!" McCain said.

But Obama went on to remind the audience that McCain once jokingly sang "Bomb, bomb, bomb Iran" and called for the annihilation of North Korea.

"That is not an example of speaking softly" like McCain's hero, Theodore Roosevelt, Obama said.

The debate represented one of the last remaining chances for McCain to change the narrative before a massive, national audience. Obama has widened his lead in national polls, and has edged ahead of McCain in some polls in crucial states that President Bush won in 2004, including Florida, Virginia, Ohio and Nevada.

Last night's encounter seemed unlikely to cause a dramatic shift in the race, with neither McCain nor Obama scoring any proverbial knockout blows - or making any harmful gaffes.

Analysts say that Obama would have enough electoral votes to win the presidency, or very close to it, if the election were held today. He has been lifted by the Wall Street meltdown and economic anxieties over the last several weeks, with many polls showing voters trust Obama (and Democrats generally) more to right the economy.

The economy is far and away the most important issue now. Muhlenberg College's daily tracking poll of Pennsylvania voters, for instance, found yesterday that 52 percent of respondents named the economy as their No. 1 concern, nearly five times more than the next highest category, which was "other."

McCain has said in the past that he doesn't know much about economics, and he clearly is more comfortable with national security and foreign affairs.

As Wall Street banks were collapsing, McCain first said that "the fundamentals of our economy are strong" and then switched hours later to say that he was going to suspend his campaign and rush back to Washington to help push for a rescue package.

The good news for McCain is that the town-hall format is a strong suit. He loves the informality of it, and comes across as self-deprecating and engaging - in contrast to his usual stiff performances in most big-speech settings. McCain won the New Hampshire primary, which propelled him to the Republican nomination, largely on the strength of hundreds of town-hall meetings.

He showed that comfort last night.