Washington in 5 minutes

CAMPAIGN

Candidates agree on three debates

Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama have agreed to hold three presidential debates and one vice-presidential debate this fall, the campaigns said in a joint statement Thursday that outlined formats, dates and locations.

The Commission on Presidential Debates will sponsor the events.

The first, on Sept. 26 at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, will focus on foreign policy and national security, and Mr. McCain and Mr. Obama will answer questions from moderator Jim Lehrer while standing at lecterns.

On Oct. 7, the two will meet for a town-hall style debate at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn. Moderator Tom Brokaw will call on audience members and pose questions submitted through the Internet.

The third presidential debate, on domestic and economic policy, is slated for Oct. 15 at Hofstra University, on Long Island, N.Y. Mr. McCain and Mr. Obama will sit at a table with moderator Bob Schieffer.

Vice-presidential contenders are to meet Oct. 2 at Washington University in St. Louis.

FEC

McCain off hook on primary cash

The Federal Election Commission on Thursday voted unanimously to belatedly approve Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain’s withdrawal from public financing for the primaries - a move that spared him potential embarrassment on one of his signature issues.

The decision means Mr. McCain is not bound by the spending limits that restrict candidates who accept primary season matching funds.

Had the commission rejected Mr. McCain’s withdrawal from the system, any money he spent this year in excess of those spending limits would have been in violation of the law and could have been subject to a fine. Such a violation would have been an embarrassment for Mr. McCain, because he has been a strong advocate of campaign spending controls.

The commission, however, did not specifically vote on an underlying question raised by the panel’s chairman and Democrats: whether Mr. McCain used the promise of public funds to secure a loan to his campaign late last year.

CAMPAIGN

Story Continues →