Egads!
Senator John McCain just announced that he plans to suspend campaigning on Thursday, and seek a delay in this week's planned presidential debate Friday, so that he could return to Washington to try to forge a consensus on a financial bailout package.
Shortly after, the Obama camp issued a statement saying the two candidates had spoken on the phone this morning about issuing a statement on the financial difficulties facing the nation, but it did not address canceling the debate.
McCain and Obama have been under pressure to enact some kind of significant change regarding the proposed $700 billion bailout package.
"I am calling on the President to convene a meeting with the leadership from both houses of Congress, including Senator Obama and myself," he said in New York this afternoon. "It is time for both parties to come together to solve this problem."
It's all very phoenix in the rising, Mr. McCain trying to appear as the one spearheading this call to action, but it was actually Sen. Obama who began the exchange with the Arizona senator.
"At 8:30 this morning, Sen. Obama called Sen. 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," said Bill Burton, the spokesman for the Obama campaign.
Democrats reacted skeptically to Mr. McCain's surprise announcement (as they should have), accusing that it seemed like a political ploy to try to gain the confidence of voters concerned about the economy.
"What, does McCain think the Senate will still be working at 9 p.m. Friday?" Gov. Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania said, referring to the start time of the debate. "I think this is all political - I wish McCain had shown the same concern when he didn't show up in the Senate to vote on the extension of the renewable energy tax credit."
It all seems to be a game and an attempt to put Mr. Obama between a rock and a hard place. If he shakes his head no to ol' Mac and goes ahead with the debate, some will think Sen. McCain is the one concerned with solving the financial problems on Wall Street this week and if he acquiesces and agrees to postpone the debate, then he's still simply a follower.
So, here we go again, with McCain going to all lengths to appear bipartisan and maverick in the strangest of ways. Use some sense people. I certainly hope you can multitask, and deal with both things.
Not to mention, this kind of puts a hole in the latest article I've written that goes to print today. Thanks Mac!
FTW.
[Source: msnbc.msn.com]
2 comments:
From my perspective, McCain's not pulling this off. This whole issue fractures his base of support between those that support a bailout and those who are dead-set against it. The more the economy becomes the issue, better for Dems. Think about Palin trying to debate the economy with Biden. I mean, I dont know Palin except via the media, but she seems pretty lightweight on the ways of Wall Street and international finance. And McCain can only distance himself from the bailout so far--he's an establishment guy from the party in office. Obama will remind him time and again on that.
What a doggone Shame!
Nice comments.
LM
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