McCain to suspend campaigning, wants to delay debate due to financial crisis

[Gutenberg]

The national debate is not "Saturday Night Live," guitarist.

[kanesa]

political gimmick

[swampy]

I admire McCain for returning to DC to _lead_ instead of just talk. Obama says he's "been in touch with Palosi and Paulson" and "I've told them to call me if you need me".

Call me if you need me? The COUNTRY needs you asshat! You DO have a job as a US Senator, last I heard. That you BHO would put your political gains ahead of this nation is abhorrent!

[guitarist]

The NYT, not exactly a cheerleader for the McCain campaign, has a more balanced reporting of the story than our indignant bickering would suggest:

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"...Governor Rendell said that if Congressional Democrats believed they were close to a compromise agreement on the bailout, it might behoove Mr. Obama to return to Washington as well.

“If I was Senator Obama, I would call the Democratic leadership to see how close we were in coming to the crucial moment, and if we’re close, I would consider going to Washington too,” Mr. Rendell said. “But if we’re not close, I see no reason to.”

It is not the first major moment of the campaign that Mr. McCain has sought to suspend the campaign this year. When the Republicans gathered for their nominating convention in St. Paul at the beginning of the month, Mr. McCain suspended the first day of the convention because of concerns about Hurricane Gustav, which was bearing down on the Gulf.

In announcing that he was going to stop campaigning, Mr McCain said that “it has become clear that no consensus has developed to support the Administration’s proposal. I do not believe that the plan on the table will pass as it currently stands, and we are running out of time.”

Conservative Republicans, in particular, have been skeptical of the plan, and looking to Mr. McCain, now the party’s de facto leader, for leadership.

Both Mr. McCain and Mr. Obama have said that action must be taken, but have urged greater oversight built into the plan, to monitor how the Treasury Department plans to use taxpayer money to take distressed assets off the hands of failing financial firms, as well as guarantees that taxpayer money is not used to enrich Wall Street executives.

Mr. McCain made the call after spending more than an hour preparing for Friday’s debate at the Morgan Library and Museum — which, by coincidence, is where J. Pierpont Morgan bailed the country out of the great financial panic of 1907 by locking the leading bankers of the day in his library and forcing them to come up with a rescue plan.

Speaking to a small pool of reporters at his hotel in midtown Manhattan, Mr. McCain read his statement from a Teleprompter, and took no questions.

He also cancelled a planned appearance on “Late Night With David Letterman.”

Mr. McCain has sometimes sent mixed signals about the bailout package. He struck a negative tone Monday in Scranton, Pa., warning, “We won’t solve a problem caused by poor oversight with a plan that has no oversight.”

On Tuesday he continued to press for changes to the proposal, but sounded a more urgent note that something must be done, declaring in Michigan that “further inaction is simply not an option.”

The fiscal crisis has put both candidates in a tremendously uncomfortable position — torn between an unpopular plan to use $700 billion in taxpayer funds to bail out Wall Street firms, or to risk what the Bush administration warns would be a widening financial crisis that could wipe out the savings of retirees, make it difficult to secure mortgages or college loans, and send the economy into a downward spiral."

[Gutenberg]

Nope, sorry. It is way more important to decide who's going to actually lead this country out of this mess beginning in January than it is to go to Washington to point fingers and decide which Wall Street firm gets how much of our money.

I would be willing to bet McCain's hour cramming for the debate did not go very well, and I would be willing to bet that was a factor in his decision.

All of his cross-the-aisle-manship evaporated as he got closer to the most important primaries. I can't imagine it's going to reappear like a bunny out of his hat.

[kanesa]

McCain is down in the polls so he is pulling this political gimmick to make people look at him. He is not the president but obviously Bush isn't acting like one either. Bush should have had a "fireside chat" with America to explain what was going on and urge their support. Ronald Reagan would have talked to the American people. Bush is acting like Jimmy Carter and appears to be trapped in the White House and can't come out. Bush is so pathetic. Who is leading this country now?

[Greg the dogsitter]

swampy wrote: Call me if you need me? The COUNTRY needs you asshat! You DO have a job as a US Senator, last I heard. That you BHO would put your political gains ahead of this nation is abhorrent!

Oh, yes. Political gain. That's another silly thing I keep hearing, that Barack is all about political gain and advancing his career. Wanting a continue a campaign for President doesn't do a thing for the country. In fact, the race for President isn't even related to the country!

But I'm glad you had the opportunity to use this argument once again.

[swampy]

Another example of BHO talking and avoiding taking action.

Maybe Obama doesn't want to go to Washington because he doesn't want to have to go on the record. He'd probably vote "Present"again anyway.

Besides, the debate Friday was to discuss foreign policy not the economy. So BHO can go hold a debate with himself... I guess it could be called master(de)bating.

[Greg the dogsitter]

swampy wrote:
Another example of BHO talking and avoiding taking action.

Maybe Obama doesn't want to go to Washington because he doesn't want to have to go on the record. He'd probably vote "Present"again anyway.

Besides, the debate Friday was to discuss foreign policy not the economy. So BHO can go hold a debate with himself... I guess it could be called master(de)bating.

Why don't you consider engaging in a debate for the presidency taking action, or is every move that everyone makes supposed to be about the economy right now? If McCain were to change his mind and go to the debate, would you criticize him, too?

What is the significance of voting "present", anyway?

[$tevie]

new york times wrote: Conservative Republicans, in particular, have been skeptical of the plan, and looking to Mr. McCain, now the party’s de facto leader, for leadership.

Whoa. So Bush is out of the picture as far as conservative Republicans are concerned? Man, when has a candidate for president ever been considered the leader of his party when the party had a sitting president?

Heck of a job, Bushie.