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In addition to the three debates that year, the two candidates also appeared on the same stage at separate times. On Saturday, August 16, 2008, both McCain and Obama appeared at Saddleback Church in California, with popular Pastor Rick Warren. Each candidate appeared separately, answering similar questions from Warren for one hour. Obama appeared first, followed by McCain. Then on September 11, 2008, McCain and Obama were separately interviewed at the Service Nation presidential forum at Columbia University.
The first and third of the three 90-minute CPD presidential debates were divided into nine 9-minute issue segments. Each candidate was allowed to discuss selected topics, answer follow-ups from the moderator and directly address each other. The second CPD presidential debate featured a town hall format in which voters who were either present at the debate or via the internet, asked questions on a topic of their choice. The format of the single vice presidential debate followed that of the first and third presidential debates, but called for shorter response and discussion periods
On August 18, 2008, McCain and Obama announced they had agreed to the general CPD framework for the three scheduled presidential debates and the one vice presidential debate. A Zogby International poll released on August 15, 2008 indicated that more than 50% of Democratic and Republican voters supported having Libertarian Party nominee Bob Barr included in the presidential debates. 70% of independent voters also wanted to see him included. 46% of all voters polled and 59% of independents would also like to see independent candidate Ralph Nader included.
On September 24, 2008, McCain had announced his intention to suspend his campaign the next day and said that he wanted to delay the first debate "until we have taken action" on the financial rescue plan that was being proposed by Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson. McCain proposed that he and Obama would return to Washington, D.C. in order to work on a legislative response to the unfolding financial crisis of 2007–2008. Obama rejected that idea, stating that "this is exactly the time when the American people need to hear from the person who, in approximately 40 days, will be responsible for dealing with this mess."
Chancellor of the University of Mississippi, Robert Khayat, proposed that Obama hold a townhall meeting with the audience if McCain failed to appear. On the morning of September 26, McCain agreed to participate in the debate, claiming that there had been enough progress in the financial bailout plan.
The first debate was held on September 26, 2008 at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi. Jim Lehrer of PBS served as moderator. The debate was originally planned to focus on foreign policy and national security, but the first half of the debate was spent discussing the ongoing 2008 financial crisis. McCain made much of his experience, drawing on stories from the past. He joked about his age, attempting to make the point that the gravity of the times called for an experienced leader and that this was not the time to take a chance on a political neophyte. Obama tied McCain to what he characterized as Bush Administration mistakes and laid out his plans for meeting the financial crisis. An estimated 52.4 million people watched the debate. A CBS poll conducted after the debate on independent voters found that 38% felt it was a draw, 40% felt Obama had won, and 22% thought that McCain had won. Breaking down the numbers, the consensus was that Obama had won the portion on the economy, but that McCain had done better on foreign policy issues. CNN polling reported Obama won the debate overall by a margin of 51–38. A CBS poll of uncommitted voters shows Obama winning 39–24, with 37% of voters undecided.
On September 29, the House of Representatives defeated the first bailout proposal. On October 2, the Vice presidential debate between Democratic Vice-Presidential candidate Joe Biden and his Republican counterpart Alaska Governor Sarah Palin was held at Washington University in St. Louis. Gwen Ifill of PBS was the moderator of the debate. The debate audience was larger than the first presidential debate. It was watched by about 70 million viewers according to Nielsen Media Research, making it the most-watched vice presidential debate in history. It was only the second presidential or vice presidential debate to surpass 70 million viewers, the first being the 1980 presidential debate between Governor Ronald Reagan and President Jimmy Carter, which drew nearly 81 million viewers.
The vice-presidential debate format followed that of the first presidential debate, but included questions on all topics and had shorter response and discussion periods. The two candidates had never met before. Palin said of Biden on one of her stump speeches before the debate, "I've never met him before. But I've been hearing about his Senate speeches since I was in, like, second grade." After moderator Gwen Ifill introduced the candidates, where they came out, Palin asked Biden, "Can I call you Joe?" He replied that she could, but did not ask for reciprocity. Palin also said at one point, "I may not answer the questions the way the moderator and you want to hear." She attempted to used her inexperience to her advantage, stating, "It's so obvious that I'm a Washington outsider and not used to the ways you guys operate."
Palin seemed to be most interested in energy policy while Biden spoke in greatest depth about foreign affairs. Biden refrained from criticizing Palin, instead directing his criticisms at McCain. Palin directed most of her criticism towards Obama. Whereas Biden defended Obama much more so than Palin did of her running mate and of the Bush administration. Palin spoke about McCain and Palin's plans to reform Washington. Biden responded by saying that he thought at one time McCain was a "maverick," but that was no longer the case.
One of the most memorable moments during the debate came when Biden talked about the tragedy that affected his family when his wife and daughter died and his sons were injured. He explained by saying, "The notion that somehow, because I'm a man, I don't know what it's like to raise two kids alone, I don't know what it's like to have a child you're not sure is going to –" Palin did not react to this.
Leading up to the debate, much of the media had focused on how Governor Palin had performed poorly in a number of interviews conducted in the weeks leading up to the debate. A poll in early October from the Pew Research Center showed that the number of people who believed Palin was qualified to serve as president had dropped to 37% from 52% in early September. Most polls suggested that Biden had won the debate, though many believed that Palin had exceeded expectations in her debate performance.
On the day before the debate, it became widely known that moderator Gwen Ifill had authored a new book The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama, which was to be released by publisher Doubleday on January 20, 2009, the day of the presidential inauguration. Ifill had not informed the debate commission about her book. Fox News' Washington managing editor Brit Hume accused Ifill of having a "financial stake" in an Obama victory because of the profit she stood to make from her book. McCain said he was confident Ifill would do "a totally objective job".
On October 7, the second presidential debate was held at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. It was moderated by Tom Brokaw of NBC news. The candidates were asked who they would consider as the next Secretary of the Treasury. McCain said that he might concur with Obama's suggestion of Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett and then went on also to suggest former eBay president Meg Whitman. Obama reiterated his suggestion of Buffett. Both candidates said that it is important to choose as Treasury Secretary someone who earns the trust of the American people. The first Internet question came from a 78-year-old, who asked about sacrifices that Americans might have to make in the future. McCain responded that spending, other than defense, veterans' affairs, and certain other programs, would have to be frozen. McCain was also critical of Obama's support for a $3 million earmark which would have bought a new planetarium projector for Chicago's Adler Planetarium, the oldest planetarium in the Western Hemisphere. CNN's poll conducted after the debate found that 54% of those surveyed thought that Obama had won and 30% felt McCain had won. In CBS's poll of uncommitted voters, 40% felt Obama had won, 26% thought McCain had won, and 34% said it was a tie.
Several media outlets were critical of McCain for referring to Obama as "that one" while discussing energy policy. McCain was also criticized for his habit of wandering about the stage" during the debate while Obama was speaking.
The third and final presidential debate was held on October 15, 2008 at Hofstra University at Hempstead, New York. It was moderated by Bob Schieffer of CBS. It was held at the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex on the campus of Hofstra University. The focus was on domestic policy and the economy. During the debate repeated references were made to a man named Joe Wurzelbacher, who became known as "Joe the Plumber". Wurzelbacher had spoken with Obama while he was campaigning in Holland, Ohio, and had claimed that Obama's tax policy would make it difficult for him to expand his business and hire more employees. Obama gave a five-minute response where he said "under his proposal taxes on any revenue from $250,000 on down would stay the same, but that amounts above that level would be subject to a 39 percent tax, instead of the current 36 percent rate". In the debate, McCain repeatedly brought up "Joe the Plumber" and Obama and McCain then made statements aimed directly at Wurzelbacher.
CNN's poll conducted after the debate found that 58% of those surveyed thought that Obama had won and 31% felt McCain had won. In CBS's poll of uncommitted voters, 53% felt Obama had won and 22% thought McCain had won, Obama's largest margin of victory of the three debates.
It is unlikely that the debates had much impact on the outcome of the election. McCain had been dealt a tough hand. Obama won a decisive victory over McCain, winning the Electoral College and the popular vote by a sizable margin, including states that had not voted for the Democratic presidential candidate since 1976 (North Carolina) and 1964 (Indiana and Virginia). As of the 2016 presidential election, Obama's total count of 69.5 million votes still stands as the largest tally ever won by a presidential candidate.