Candidates aim for swing-state support as finish line nears

Reporting from Cape Girardeau, Mo., and Defiance, Ohio -- Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain moved through swing states today, as the presidential candidates exhorted their supporters to continue their fight to the electoral finish line, just five days off.

Speaking in Defiance, Ohio, McCain told his backers that they faced an uphill fight against the Democrats, but that they should fight even though the GOP trails in the polls. Last night, Obama bough a half hour on most networks to make his pitch, derided by McCain.

"He gave his first address to the nation before the election," McCain said today.

"Last night Senator Obama said that if he lost he would return to the Senate and he would try again in four years with a second act. That sounds like a great idea to me. Let's make it happen," he said to cheers.

Campaigning in Sarasota, Fla., Obama said "that in five days at this defining moment in history, you can give this country the change we need."

"Yes we can," the crowd chanted back.

"Florida, if you want to know where Senator McCain will drive this economy, just look in the rearview mirror. Because when it comes to our economic policies, John McCain has stood with President Bush every step of the way," Obama said, using a theme he has made a centerpiece of his campaign that McCain is no different from the Bush administration, made even more unpopular by a worsening economy.

The Commerce Department reported today that the gross domestic product shrank by 0.3% in the third quarter as fearful consumers cut back on spending. The new numbers, the steepest decline since 2001, provided new fodder for both campaigns.

"This morning, we learned that GDP has fallen for the first time this year, which means America is producing less and selling less and our economy is shrinking," Obama said in a prepared statement. "American consumers were especially hard hit, experiencing their largest decline in spending in 28 years as wages failed to keep up with the rising cost of living.

"The decline in our GDP didn't happen by accident -- it is a direct result of the Bush administration's trickle down, Wall Street first, Main Street last policies that John McCain has embraced for the last eight years and plans to continue for the next four. These policies didn't work then, they won't work now, and I'm running for President to end them."