October 9 - At a Wednesday
campaign rally, John McCain maintained his commitment to balancing the
budget, saying he would "confront"
the national debt and balance the budget by the time he left office. Though McCain's
statement left open the question of whether the budget would be balanced by the
end of four or eight years, it did represent the first time McCain had
mentioned the pledge since the financial crisis intensified and Congress signed
a $700 billion rescue package.