McCain Talks Economy as Women Break for Obama

John McCain is shifting focus to the economy in a bid to win over white women who are rapidly flocking to Barack Obama. Any bump McCain saw with female voters after selecting running mate Sarah Palin has utterly evaporated, the Boston Globe reports. Polls show Obama leading by 17% among women, but McCain's mortgage rescue proposal could be an attempt to narrow that gap.

“The dream of owning a home should not be crushed under the weight of a bad mortgage,” McCain said at a Pennsylvania rally yesterday. He says his plan to sink $300 billion into buying bad loans—an idea, aides readily admit, cribbed from Hillary Clinton—will appeal to suburban moms. Obama yesterday said he opposes the plan, which he contends would prove too costly. (More female voters stories.)