Candidates Spar on Economy in Wake of VP Debate

JIM LEHRER:

Next tonight, the presidential campaign, where it's back to the top of the ticket after last night's vice presidential debate. Judy Woodruff reports.

JUDY WOODRUFF:

Barack Obama and John McCain resumed their places at the center of the presidential campaign today, hours after their running mates met for their first and only debate in St. Louis.

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-Ill.):

I was so proud of Joe.

JUDY WOODRUFF:

Obama was in Abington, Pa., this morning, near Philadelphia, where he sought to tie today's bad unemployment numbers to McCain and Sarah Palin, who last night said that taxes killed jobs.

SEN. BARACK OBAMA:

I wonder if she turned on the news this morning, because it was just reported that America has experienced its ninth straight month of job loss, nine straight months.

Just since January, we've lost more than 750,000 jobs across America, 7,000 in Pennsylvania alone.

This is the economy that John McCain said just two weeks ago was fundamentally strong. This is the economy that my opponent said made great progress under the policies of George W. Bush. And those are the economic policies that he proposes to continue another four years.

So, when Sen. McCain and his running mate talk about job-killing, that's something they know a thing or two about, because the policies they've supported and are supporting are killing jobs in America every single day.

And, Abington, I am here to tell you that we can't afford four more years of this. Enough is enough.