HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. - As the clock ticked down on the final debate and the entire presidential race, Senator John McCain canceled a campaign stop on Wednesday and hunkered down to prepare for his last scheduled encounter with Senator Barack Obama.

Mr. Obama, who had spent three days in debate camp in Ohio, declared that he was "feeling pretty good" before arriving here for a brief inspection of the stage at Hofstra University. Mr. McCain spent the day in practice sessions for the debate, which many of his advisers see as his last best chance to change the trajectory of the campaign.

In the 20 days that have passed since their first debate of the general election, Mr. Obama's political advantages have expanded. His advisers said the debate, which was expected to focus solely on domestic issues, was also important for Mr. Obama.

"It's the last chance for folks to see these candidates side by side and take the measure of them," said David Axelrod, the chief strategist for Mr. Obama. "It's going to accelerate the decision-making process for people who are still pondering their choices. As we get around the corner here to the final sprint, I think it's going to be an important one."

Even as the Obama organization began reassigning some of its Michigan campaign staff to several battleground states, following Mr. McCain's withdrawal earlier this month, Mr. Axelrod dismissed suggestions that the campaign was feeling a strong air of confidence.

"We weren't discouraged by polls when they were not favorable for us," Mr. Axelrod told reporters aboard the campaign plane from Ohio to New York. "We're not seduced by polls now. We think this is going to be a battle every day until the end."

Mr. McCain, who was sequestered at a Hilton Garden Inn in nearby Plainview, remained out of sight throughout the day on Wednesday. But evidence of debate preparations abounded in the hotel lobby, where Brett O'Donnell, his debate coach, conferred with Rob Portman, the former Ohio Congressman who has played the role of Mr. Obama.

And the campaign's spin-room troops also began to muster, with former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts arriving in the early afternoon.

For their third debate, the senators will be seated in low swivel chairs around a wooden horseshoe-shaped table, along with the moderator Bob Schieffer of CBS News. It was that change - after two debates in which the candidates stood - that advisers said was the focus of much of Mr. Obama's debate preparations.

"It's less about preparing for the substance," Mr. Axelrod said. "The candidates are sitting at a table tonight, sitting in close proximity. It sounds silly, but those are the things you've got to consider as you prepare."

Mr. Obama, who is primarily aiming to simply hold his position in the race, was not expected to offer new policy proposals or say anything he has not addressed.

"We're not in the business of reinventing ourselves from debate to debate," Mr. Axelrod said. "That's not what Obama is going to do. He's been very consistent for 20 months. He'll be very consistent tonight."

As for their Republican rival, he added: "McCain 7.0? That may happen."

Some Republicans have urged the McCain campaign to inject a memorable moment into the evening by presenting a surprise proposal or statement. One possible example could be to challenge Mr. Obama to another debate.

Mr. Axelrod, in a briefing with reporters, dismissed the prospect of another debate.

"I think we're going to take advantage of this opportunity and then we'll see," he said. "At this point, we're in the last couple weeks of the campaign. We've got a schedule. He's got a schedule. At the end of tonight, people have already gotten a sense of the differences between the two of them."




By Jeff Zeleny, The New York Times, October 15, 2008