With the clock winding down on a chance to cut into Barack Obama's lead in the polls, John McCain is turning away from visceral attacks on his rival and back toward policy differences.

In a speech in Davenport, Iowa, today, McCain focused on such issues as the economy. His serious criticism of Obama was over health care, not character.

Rallies earlier in the week were characterized by angry anti-Obama outbursts from fired-up McCain-Palin supporters.

Unhelpful for the tone McCain sought to establish in Davenport today was a minister who delivered the prayer before McCain arrived at the rally. The Reverend Arnold Conrad appeared to dismiss faiths other than Christianity and cast the election as a referendum on God himself. A McCain spokeswoman distances the campaign from his remarks.

McCain and Obama hold the third and final of their debates Wednesday night.