McCain offers economic plans, Obama picks up steam

By Matt Spetalnick

BLUE BELL, Pa. (Reuters) - Trying to revive his faltering campaign, Republican presidential nominee John McCain offered proposals on Tuesday to help investors rebound from the stock market crash as he warmed up for his final debate with Democrat Barack Obama.

"What we need to see now is swift and bold action to lead this country in a new direction," McCain told cheering supporters in the battleground state of Pennsylvania.

McCain has sought to regain his footing on economic issues for the past three weeks after drawing criticism for saying the U.S. economy's fundamentals were strong despite brewing signs of crisis on Wall Street that ultimately gave way to the biggest stock market drop since the Great Depression.

During that time Obama has prospered, moving from a tie with McCain in national polls to a lead. In bad news for the McCain campaign, a Quinnipiac University/Wall Street Journal/Washingtonpost.com poll on Tuesday gave Obama sizable leads in four battleground states.

The Illinois senator, who has hammered economic issues in his own campaign speeches, was up 52 percent to 43 percent for McCain in Colorado, 54-38 in Michigan, 51-40 in Minnesota and 54-37 in Wisconsin.

One day before they face off in their third and final debate, a CBS News/New York Times national opinion poll showed Obama leading McCain by 14 percentage points -- 53 percent to 39 percent. The latest Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby four-day tracking poll showed Obama with a 6-point advantage over McCain.

With three weeks to go until election day on Nov. 4, the stakes were high for the debate, to take place at 9 p.m. EDT on Wednesday (0100 GMT on Thursday) in Hempstead, New York.

Obama shook hands with workers at a factory in Ohio and then holed up at a secluded resort on Lake Erie to prepare for the face-off. McCain rehearsed for the debate in a closed-door session at a stage complex in Manhattan's theater district.