Two down and one to go.

Barack Obama and John McCain deftly moved from topic to topic during their second presidential debate Tuesday night. They did clash repeatedly over the causes and cures for the economic crisis.

Obama said the current crisis was the "final verdict on the failed economic policies of the last eight years" that President Bush pursued and were "supported by Sen. McCain."

McCain called for a sweeping $300 billion program to shield homeowners from mortgage foreclosure. McCain said "It's my proposal. It's not Sen. Obama's proposal."

In one pointed confrontation on foreign policy, McCain said he believed in Theodore Roosevelt's approach of "Speak softly and carry a big stick." And McCain accused Obama of threatening to invade Pakistan and said, "I'm not going to telegraph my punches which is what Senator Obama did."

Then Obama bluntly challenged McCain's steadiness. He said "This is a guy who sang bomb, bomb, bomb Iran, who called for the annihilation of North Korea.