Hey Yinz!

Okay, it's time for an office pool: how long until Obama--in the spirit of bipartisanship, of course--caves on the bailout plan and gives dissenting Republican lawmakers what they want?

I'm plunking my money down on this Saturday between noon and four.

And for the daily double: how long before Obama caves--in the spirit of bipartisanship, of course--and agrees to reschedule the debate?

I bag tomorrow between noon and two.

Fredegunde

But does it not seem possible that the Rebumblicans, knowing the bailout can wait a day or two, are trying to keep things up in the air so McCain can skip the debate? The ultimate strategy being to somehow move pieces around on the board so as to obviate the Vice Presidential debates which (be sure to catch Palin talking to Couric) are clearly shaping up to be a campaign-ending disaster?

McCain can try to scuttle the VP debates, but it would be a mistake.

Up to this point, Palin's highly managed interviews have been a flop. I think voters are having serious questions about her and would like to see her in a debate situation. Expectations are pretty low and she might be able to exceed them... especially if Biden is perceived as being to rough on her.

Likewise, McCain's a good debater albeit a dirty one. Given his erratic behavior of late, even Republicans are starting to wonder if he is up to the job and want to see him in a one-on-one situation. Those questions become more serious if he's a debate no-show.

He does himself damage by grandstanding and trying to game the debates.

As a Democrat, I find this race becoming a lot more fun to watch.

I just shined my tinfoil hat, and I started to wonder if this whole bailout plan is just a bit of political theater: Bush plays the bad guy with the evil plan, Democrats get stuck in the role of suckers, and McCain rides in and saves the day by killing the deal.

McCain is just desperate for a game-changing event.

He keeps trying, and trying and trying and nothing works. This might actually work, if the GOP spins it right. American voters are so ignorant of what's actually happening, they'll believe all kinds of ridiculous crap.

Obama better be ready for McCain to continue his game-changing stunts right up to election day. It's McCain's only hope, and it does conform to his impulsive nature..and the extempore style of his handlers.

I hope the Senate has been going to fiddle practice...

I'm praying it's a mistake. And it sure looks bad, I would think to Republicans thinking of voting for him as well as for those of us who are, well...not.

But I can imagine his campaign doing a certain calculus, which goes like this: if he doesn't go to the debate, a lot of people will think less of him. If we don't have the VP debate, a lot of people will howl. We'll take a hit, but we'll still be in the game. On the other hand, if Palin gets up there, low expectations and all, she's going to babble and prattle and show not only her ignorance but the smoke and mirrors that attempt to cover the deep insecurity underneath all that pitbull hockeymom bullshit, and the campaign is over. Over. As in, we're not in it anymore. So, we've got two lousy choices; let's take the least lousy. If we're still in the game, we can hope that Obama sprouts horns and a tail or Cheney can start a war with someone -- something, anything that might just save our bacon. But those debates...nah. They'll kill us deader than last week's meatloaf sandwich.

And that's not even getting into the disaster that the presidential debates will be for McCain. They need to fend off those encounters for as long as possible, if not forever.