McCain is pulling a political stunt. Enough of those! We have an election in six weeks, these debates need to happen.

Sounds like the opening statements have already been made.

Senator McCain, your move. Senator McCain? Hello?

Official statement should praise McCain's willingness to work together on the crisis ... and use the context to emphasize how important this election is.

A suggestion for Obama:

“While I appreciate and share Senator McCain’s sense of urgency, I deeply disagree that the solution is to suspend the Presidential campaign or Friday's debate. The American people deserve and will get a robust and honest conversation about the root of our current problems and our plans to move us forward. This campaign and Friday’s debate are the best possible venues for having that conversation. Therefore, I urge Senator McCain to reconsider his proposal and join me Friday night to discuss openly and publicly the best way forward for the American people.

I agree wholeheartedly with Sen. McCain that we need to work urgently toward a bi-partisan solution to the financial crisis. I will accept his request to meet with him tomorrow in Washington DC to meet with Congressional leaders and members of the Executive branch to hammer out a fast, effective solution that adheres to the core principles I outlined yesterday.

At the same time, I believe it is absolutely essential that we maintain the integrity of our democratic process. In America, we do not suspend Democracy in the face of crisis. We accelerate it. The answer to our problems is not more closed-door meetings with Washington and Wall Street elites and less questions from the American people. No, we must openly and honestly face the American people to outline the very different visions Sen. McCain and I have for getting this country back on track. We must have the debate as scheduled and continue the campaign. America deserves nothing less.”

Bingo.

McPalin's response to every question will be "I don't have time for this silliness, I unlike you Senator Obama have to save the world from certain destruction which you obviously don't care about..."

From Washington Monthly's Steve Benen

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2008_09/014865.php

DESPERATE CANDIDATES DO DESPERATE THINGS.... As the political world continues to try to wrap its head around John McCain's decision to "suspend" his campaign, the Obama campaign issued an interesting statement.

At 8:30 this morning, 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. At 2:30 this afternoon, Senator McCain returned Senator Obama's call and agreed to join him in issuing such a statement. The two campaigns are currently working together on the details.

You nailed it.

toadies pull the fire alarm.

It is the first time that I understand there are time-outs allowed in the last two months of the campaign! McInane is really in the MO of W.: "make the rules as you go along

Now if McInane is such a specialist of foreign policy as he claims, he should not have too much to brush up on and he should be able to give 6hrs (2 for debate + 4 for to and fro Florida) while dealing with the "economy"(that by the way is "fundamentally strong").

"My pit bull ate my debate notes."

You're writing my speeches if I ever run for office. Nice.

Doesn't "suspend" campaign mean you cease all activities related to it (ads, fundraising, etc.)? Have the ads been pulled? Has Palin "suspended" her campaign...however the hell you can define the peekaboo appearances she's been doing? I know, lets have biden and palin do the friday night gig while the big boys work on the bailout and they can take the VP time slot. That should be good. I'm sure Sarah is eager to be cut loose.

What does it say about the judgment and veracity of someone who would propose to delay a Presidential debate as a means of putting the country before politics by announcing the proposal in a press release rather than returning the call of the other candidate who was trying (WITHOUT HAVING MADE A PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT OF THEIR ATTEMPT) to reach a non-partisan joint approach to the issue??

It says that when pushed into a corner, McCain acts recklessly and with an eye first to his own politcal fortune.

I'm listening to Lieberman trying to spin McCain's move as heroic. Good luck selling that snake oil, bub.

tour didn't work out so well....

Rove ordered a round of drinks in Darth Cheney's bunker and Bushit grabbed a bourbon, drained it and threw the glass against a photo of a smiling McAce. One has to wonder if this move will expose Palin's secret location.What fun...

They have NOTHING to say! Nothing to say that can't easily be cribbed from a sheet of talking points, that is.

If any of us had been as unprepared as McCain/Palin, we wouldn't have even passed our Introductory Public Speaking courses in college.

My question is, are the moderators going to be allowed to ask REAL questions in these debates, or are they going to be forced to stick with what the two idiots, McCain and Palin, *think* they can answer? My guess is it'll be the latter, unfortunately.

It reminds me of Rudolph Guiliani announcing he was divorcing his wife in a press conference without having told her first.

Is it just me, or does John McCain react to every real-or-perceived "crisis" like a hysterical woman in a 1950s horror movie?

Iraq is the gravest threat to our civilization, then Iran needs to be bombed instantly, then we're all Georgians defending them is worth military conflict with Russia, now the looming financial crisis is so great we need to suspend the presidential campaign so McCain can save us.

I want a thoughtful, deliberately president. Not so shrieking old alarmist who thinks running around screaming "The sky is falling!" equals leadership.

STFU and debate, old man. Nobody is buying your latest sleazebucket stunt.