McCain: I'll take that dare

John McCain will apparently take the dare.

After his campaign began attacking Democratic rival Barack Obama over his ties with 1970s terrorist William Ayers, McCain did not raise the issue during the presidential debate last week.

Afterwards, Obama told ABC News that he was surprised McCain didn't bring it up face to face. Obama's running mate, Joe Biden, was more direct, almost baiting McCain.

"John McCain could not bring himself to look Barack Obama in the eye and say the same things to him,” Biden told a campaign crowd. “In my neighborhood, you got something to say to a guy, you look him in the eye and you say it to him.“

Asked about the comments, McCain retorted that he had never been afraid to challenge someone; he said the town-hall format of last week's debate didn't lend itself to the Ayers issue.

Today, McCain said the dares almost guarantee the subject will come up Wednesday night for the last debate.

"I was astonished to hear him say that he was surprised I didn’t have the guts" to mention Ayers, McCain told a St. Louis radio station.