U.S. presidential candidate John McCain, a Republican, has attributed
the current U.S. economic strife to systematic corruption, and says he
would fire the government official in charge of regulating financial
markets.
At a rally in the midwestern state of Iowa Thursday,
Senator McCain said the Securities and Exchange Commission kept rules
in place that allowed investors to turn U.S. markets into "casinos."
He pledged he would fire the chairman of the commission Christopher
Cox, saying he betrayed the public's trust.
Democratic nominee
Barack Obama has accused McCain of long-supporting economic policies
that discourage effective regulation. In Nevada Wednesday, Senator
Obama said the economic developments this week represent the final
verdict on McCain's policies.
McCain and his vice presidential
running mate, Governor Sarah Palin, Thursday criticized Obama's running
mate, Senator Joe Biden, for suggesting that paying higher taxes is
patriotic.
When Biden made the remark on ABC television's Good
Morning America, he was referring to Obama's plan to raise taxes for
anyone making more than $250,000 a year.
McCain also is campaigning in Wisconsin Thursday, while Obama is holding a rally in New Mexico.
A new opinion survey shows Obama has regained his lead over McCain.
A
poll conducted jointly by The New York Times and CBS News shows Obama
with a five-point lead over McCain (48 percent to 43 percent) among
registered voters.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
