US Election: Obama Begins Rehearsing for First Debate

Barack Obama began intensive rehearsals at a specially-prepared camp in Florida today for his debate showdown with John McCain on Friday that both men hope will break the stubborn weeks-long poll deadlock.

Obama has abandoned all but a handful of campaign events to devote almost four days to training for the clash. His performances on a mock-up of the debate stage are being videoed and then scrutinized not only for his answers but for his facial expressions.

McCain has not set up a similar debate camp and is continuing with almost a full campaign program, fitting rehearsals in between.

The Obama-McCain clash, which is expected to attract the biggest-ever US television audience for a political debate, is to be held at the symbolically-resonant University of Mississippi, once a bastion of racism and scene of violent clashes during the civil rights campaign of 1960s.

Neil Newhouse, a Republican pollster, said: "I do not think any debate has ever been more important ... There is a huge amount at stake in this."

Stan Greenberg, a pollster for the Democrats, said presidential debates have a big impact, with the potential for all the campaign work of the preceding months "wiped out in seconds". He noted that previous debates had seen poll leads wiped out.

The debate comes at a time when pollsters are divided on why Obama has failed to open a substantial lead over McCain given the state of the economy, the unpopularity of President George Bush and hostility towards the Iraq war.

Race has emerged over the last few days as one of the main factors, after a reluctance by pollsters to discuss it. One estimate is that it could be costing Obama up to 6% of votes, enough to lose the election.

A USA Today poll today showed the two remain essentially tied, as they have been for weeks - with Obama on 47% and McCain on 45%. An AP poll at the weekend showed that a third of white Democrats had a negative view of blacks.

Neither Obama nor McCain, based on their performances in the primaries, is a strong debater, with the Democratic candidate needing to curb rambling answers and McCain to avoid flashes of temper.

The two held a joint town-hall style meeting last month but they did not debate, instead being interviewed back-to-back. McCain came across the better, with short, humorous replies in contrast with Obama's more reflective, academic and over-long replies.

In spite of the last fortnight being subsumed by Wall Street, the debate will be devoted solely to foreign affairs, McCain's strong point.

The first of the three presidential debates was supposed to be on domestic policy but Obama fought to have that pushed back to the end.

Obama will leave his debate camp before Friday for only for a few campaign events within easy reach.

Teams of researchers and advisers have gone through all of McCain's debates against Bush in 2000 and against his Republican opponents for the party nomination last year and earlier this year looking for weaknesses.

McCain's debate sparring partner, reciting Obama's likely lines of attack and responses, is Michael Steele, a prominent black Republican and former lieutenant-governor of Maryland.

McCain's campaign team has so far failed to find a sparring partner for his running mate, Sarah Palin, who faces a vice-presidential debate with Joe Biden the following week. Biden is practicing with Jennifer Granholm, governor of Michigan, who, like Palin, is a sports mom and former beauty contest winner.

The level of detailed preparation goes down to the level of camera angles and even make-up. McCain has a prominent scar on one side of his face that his advisers want to ensure does not appear too visible.

The two will stand at lecterns, after McCain's team concluded he performed better on his feet than sitting down.