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Photograph of McCain delivering a statement to the traveling press corps in New York by Gerald Herbert/AP
Republican presidential candidate John McCain said he was temporarily suspending his campaign tomorrow and asked for Friday's much-anticipated debate with Democratic candidate Barack Obama be delayed, so he can work on the bailout plan in Washington D.C. He said he contacted Obama's campaign and emphasized that partisan differences must be put aside for a solution (not counting that both Democrats and Republicans have problems with the plan).
McCain said, "We must meet as Americans, not as Democrats or Republicans, and we must meet until this crisis is resolved. I am directing my campaign to work with the Obama campaign and the commission on presidential debates to delay Friday night’s debate until we have taken action to address this crisis... Following September 11th, our national leaders came together at a time of crisis. We must show that kind of patriotism now."
Obama's campaign did confirm he spoke to McCain ("Senator Obama called Senator McCain to ask him if he would join in issuing a joint statement outlining their shared principles and conditions for the Treasury proposal and urging Congress and the White House to act in a bipartisan manner to pass such a proposal...") but did not mention anything about delaying the debate.
Is McCain's timing suspect, given that Obama now has a clear lead over him, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll? Politico's Jonathan Martin writes, "Coming a week after McCain struggled to find his footing on the crisis and as national and state polls show him slipping in large part because of voter concerns over the economy, it also amounts to a dare: How can Obama say no?"
UPDATE: Obama had "a hastily arranged news conference" in Florida, where he said the debate should go on, "This is exactly the time when people need to hear from the candidates... Part of the president’s job is to deal with more than one thing at once. In my mind it’s more important than ever.” (Obama also agreed that "there are times for politics and there are times to rise above politics and do what’s right.”)
And ABC News reports that an Ole Miss (where the debate is supposed to be held) official said postponing the debate would be "devastating." The school has spent $5.5 million making accommodations for the event, and Andrew Mullins, special assistant to the University Chancellor Robert Khayata, said, "It's huge. You cannot just say that you're not going to do this thing. I don't have any idea whether we do the debate [at a later date]. (We) probably wouldn't do it."
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in all honesty, mccain will give his 2 cents, but in the end, its not going to be up to him.
i say..let the debate continue.....dont be such a chicken about it. its one day out of his entire week.
ridiculous gimmick
If these guys and their colleagues hadn't been asleep at the wheel since forever, we wouldn't be in this mess. These guys showing up at this point will do little to help.
Holy crap, this is all a ploy:
http://www.weeklyworldnews.com/mutants/mccain-delays-debate-to-lengthen-legs/
BREAKING NEWS! Senator McCain has asked for the Friday debate to be delayed so he may “focus on the economy”. But insiders say it’s just a cover-up to hide his secret leg-lengthening surgery!
I love his pained face!
This move by McCain smells almost as bad as the selection of Palin.
What excuse will they use when it's Sarah's time to debate??
Drudge reports that McCain cancelled his Letterman appearance tonight. He's serious about working!
Is all this a political ploy by McCain? Maybe. If he's really going to be working on the bailout plan, I'm all for delaying the debate. The candidates are still senators and need to work. I hate it when representatives skip votes for the sake of campagaining If I recall, Obama didn't vote on the tax rebate of earlier this year, probably because he was out campaigning. Funny how a lot of Democrats thought the first tax rebate was stupid, but ended up voting for the second. By not voting, Obama can say that he didn't for for it...
Another attempt by the McCain camp to put Obama in a corner- "damned if you do, damned if you don't." This has nothing to do with McCain's deep desire to fix the economy, it's all a political ploy to get Obama to agree with him, just like he did with offshore drilling.
Call Evel Knievel, there's a new stuntman in town!
Maybe we should just postpone election day too until the economy is in better shape.
i don't see how delaying the debate will benefit McCain or hurt Obama, and this $700 billion dollar bailout is unprecedented. Just goes to show how jaded we all are when we think that the suggestion that 2 of more prominent 100 Senators should be involved in this hugely important legislative process for a few days instead of having a debate is just a ploy.
http://www.movietimes.sg/files/images/the-orphanage-moviehp1.jpg
Well this seems like a fine time for his VP to step up to the plate.
Oh, that's right, she can't speak for herself.
He'll do anything to win. USA! USA!
McCain's handlers might have really messed this one up for their man. If campaign-suspended McCain flies back to D.C. to become the champion of a $700 billion bail-out for Wall Street firms, he loses the votes of populists and economic conservatives.
McCain had all the time in the world to campaign over the past few weeks about the strength of the fundamentals of the economy. Now Palin is saying we're a week away from the Great Depression. Is the sky really really really falling this time or is this another yet-to-be-seen mushroom cloud?
I mean, it's a pretty clever political move and incredibly annoying.
He keeps falling in the polls, he messed up by not taking it seriously and his "fundamentals" comment, people think Obama has a better handle on the economy, so he's making a desperate move.
But really, what can they accomplish except talking more about what they're already talking about?
And now it delays the debate which is annoying, and I know McCain would immediately attack if Obama didn't join him in this silly detour.
I hope they send Palin to the debate!
Go ahead and let him go back to DC and huddle with his big fat resume old boy network in an effort to clean up their own huge mess - chances are pretty good that he'll screw up, and in strong limelight no less.
Maybe. If he's really going to be working on the bailout plan, I'm all for delaying the debate
Last time I checked, McCain wasn't an economist. And after the debacle that was the S & L scandal (Keating Five, anyone?) I think he should let the smarter people handle this.
He's missed 109 of the last 110 votes. Now all the sudden he needs to rush back?
...and if he doesn't screw it up, then hooray and thanks, because i don't really want to stand around outside this winter in an old suit with holes in my shoes waiting for someone to ladle me some soup
uh why didn't he just suspend the first 2 yrs of his campaign and stop this from happening in the first place? Bit late to be suspending debates. As Obama just said in his press conference - being 40 days out from one of these guys taking over the reigns - it important now more than ever that we hear from both of them. Looks like McCain is showing his age in his inability to multi-task.
solution is to make this debate about the economy or move it to washington instead of mississippi.
or, you know, to be able to hand two different issues at one time.
#20 - hey that's what Obama just said as he said NO to delaying the debate!
#10 - it's not about delaying the debate. It's about McCain getting Obama to do something that was McCain's executive decision. If McCain was up in the polls and Obama suggested this he'd be like "hell no! let's debate motherfucker"
Anyone capable of being president should be able to handle a crisis situation AND have a debate.
McCain is acting like the school kid who, having forgot to do his homework, is now hoping for a snow day reprieve.
Considering how little coverage or reaction Senator Biden's speech on foreign policy received today, I can see the political logic in this stunt - everyone is focused on the economy. And lets face it, everyone in Washington knows the Congress is going to pass the bailout. Now Senator McCain can try and be the economic hero of the day by announcing he helped get it passed.
Senator Obama should go to the debate by himself, and turn it into one of the "Town Hall Meetings" that John McCain wanted - without McCain.
Sound slike Palin needs more time to cram. Also sounds like McCain doesn't want to jump into a firepit asking for cutting corporate taxes and regulating wall street as he's supported. Also sounds like McCain is playing politics, trying to appear 'presidential' and he's going to fall flat on his face when he runs back to Washington and realizes there are hundreds of other legislators handling the problem and he has no more authority than the lot of them.
What a tool. He should send Palin. I'm sure as a Hockey Mom who's also a governor, she knows a thing or two about handling a crisis, you betcha!
John McCain is ridiculous.
all right make it a Biden and Palin debate...'nough said...what is it the VP does when the Pres cannot...Man (er woman) up...
The McCain and Palin puppet show and duck, cover and stay silent campaign keeps on chugging!!!
this is the prefect reason and time for this debate. how dare he use our 911 for his political BS.
McCain-Palin know that they're running for President & Vice-President, right? They act like they're running for student body president or something.
The debates are nothing but political Kabuki theatre which aren't even proper debates. It isn't like it is Lincoln and Douglas here in both participants and content. Although a Burr-Hamilton style debate would be better with these two.
If either can't handle it, they don't deserve being considered for the job. Like there's only one issue at a time if you're Pres? Work thru the day, debate at night. Can't do it? Go away. If you haven't voted since April, your vote is not needed now.
And Jeez, the 9/11 thing again?
It's kina like the old "the dog ate my homework" thing. How infantile.
ECONOMICS 000
The Maverick
Under fire
Has morphed into
The Unifier.
And just who's
McCain's guider?
None other than
The Great Decider.
SHOCK DOCTRINE!
Create a crisis (Henry Paulson was known as Mr. Risk,
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_24/b3988001.htm
he knew this shit was coming down)
tell every one we are on the brink and must act fast in the name of patriotism then make us agree to ridiculous bailouts and then the inevitable "belt tightening" - look for talk of cutting "entitlements"
and this is bi-partisan (though I believe the Reps. are much more ideological about the "free market" and more corrupt) just look what Clinton's Treasury Secy. Rubin had to say about the looming crisis back in Jan:
"In a talk on Wednesday, the Citigroup director said the current financial upheaval is just cyclical. And none of the blame that there was to assign went to Wall Street."
"The key to our future is how well or badly politicians address the economic issues we face," he said. He added that politicians must face the "brutal politics around entitlement programs,"
he means we need to cut benefits for the working people, blame the politicians i.e. Government, and give it all to Wall Street and the Elite.
Hopefully Obama will buck the "Washington Consensus" and drive out the Robber Barons, I'm voting Barack but not blindly.
This is a bad joke of a media play. McCain's deregulation policies are a big part of why this situation has become a crisis.
@18 Last time I checked, McCain wasn't an economist. And after the debacle that was the S & L scandal (Keating Five, anyone?) I think he should let the smarter people handle this.
You're absolutely correct. These same clowns have been committing financial crimes since the 80's, one or two people go to jail, they form a commission, nothing happens and they get back up to the same old shennanigans. Anyone remember Enron? Sure, the financial mechanics are different but the fraud and lack of government oversight are the same. As are the victims, everyone but the ultra wealthy.
Why should we continue to support politicians that lie and cheat the public day in and day out for decades at a time?
I'm casting my vote for Madame Guillotine.
I agree with Babyhitler:
it's not about delaying the debate. It's about McCain getting Obama to do something that was McCain's executive decision.
wow! when is ides going to stick her penis into the conversation?
Go GOP!!!
Looks like McCain wants to delay the VP debates as well..
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/09/24/mccain-camp-to-propose-postponing-vp-debate/
mccain..."following 9-11 our national leaders came together at a time of crisis." gee, wasn't the Imperial U.S. Empire attacked on 9-11? is mccain suggesting that the Empire has been attacked? by whom? invisible aliens perhaps? maybe illegal invisable aliens coming through the rio grande?
mccain's an idiot, or just not getting enough sleep.
Republicans have added another asset to their name: flakiness!
Obama now leads McCain by 9%. The McCain stunt of "suspending" his campaign will accomplish absolutely nothing. The voters are angry as hell about this bailout and all the fussy maneuvering by McCain will only stoke those flames. Burn baby burn!
McCain McChicken
No time out for McCain.
In related news, McCain also decided to cancel his Letterman appearance tonight to return to Washington. But Dave later discovers that McCain is actually doing an interview w/Katie Couric at the same time he was supposed to be on The Late Show. Dave is clearly pissed.
(The best part begins around 5:00).
http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/09/mccain_cancels_letterman_appea.php
George Bush's presidential address, summarized, via Animal House:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t17FD-rDnA0
"You f***ed up! You trusted us!"