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Where the Candidates Stand

By Jane Sasseen, Moira Herbst, Phil Mintz, Cathy Arnst and Theo Francis

Where the Candidates Stand

As Nov. 4 draws near, many Americans are still undecided about for whom they will cast their vote. While many elections in recent memory have been close, none seems to be quite so momentous. Not only because of the historic implications of electing either the nation's first black President or its first female Vice-President, but because never before has a Presidential election coincided with such economic uncertainty.

In fact, such previous hot-button issues as Iraq, terrorism, and abortion have been all but forgotten amid the raging debate surrounding America's, and the world's, financial health. Unsurprisingly, the candidates differ widely on how they would go about responding to the current crisis, and how their policies would impact voters. To help Americans decide, BusinessWeek takes a close look at John McCain's and Barack Obama's positions on taxes, jobs, education, health care, the financial crisis, and retirement. First up, taxes…