Shootout at the no-tax corral

Barack Obama, saying he welcomed a debate with John McCain on taxes, issued a tongue-in-cheek challenge of his Republican rival to a shootout.

At a town hall meeting in Springfield, Mo., Obama joked that he was a distant cousin of local legend Wild Bill Hickok, according to media accounts.

Then, he added, "I want to cut taxes for middle-class families, ordinary folks who are working hard and playing by the rules. I'm ready to duel John McCain on taxes right here, quick draw."

McCain's campaign responded by noting that he had challenged Obama to a series of 10 town hall meetings, and the two campaigns could never agree on the details.

“If Barack Obama wants this so-called ‘duel’ than why did he and his entourage run for the hills when John McCain challenged him to ten town halls? The truth is Barack Obama’s bad judgment led him to vote in support of higher taxes 94 times in just three years in the Senate, and he can’t hide from that,” spokesman Tucker Bounds said in a statement.