And he is quitting chewing gum until further notice
Remember how Bush couldn't come to the convention because he was too busy sitting home waiting for the hurricane to hit Louisiana? Now McCain can't debate Obama on Friday because he has to get back to D.C. for the bailout.
Comments (26)
Sounds like the old man can't multi-task or didn't do his homework for the debate. Next he'll want to postpone the election. Lame.
Posted by J. Hendriks | September 24, 2008 1:34 PM
Maybe he has been ordered to help pass the bail-out by his lobbyist buddies....make that Phil Graham.
Posted by KISS | September 24, 2008 1:57 PM
I think this is either a brilliant or completely desperate move by McCain (maybe both). It gets him off the campaign trail, where he doesn't exactly shine, and allows him to kind of look "presidential" by going to work on fixing the economy (does the picture of McCain and Bush getting together on the economy give anyone else the hives?). It also puts Obama in an awkard position...if he continues his campaign he looks selfish; if he suspends like McCain he shoots himself in the foot.
Posted by Not that "Steve" | September 24, 2008 2:01 PM
Last time I sold one: President Bush had to skip the convention because of a disaster: His presidency.
McCain has to skip the debate because of a disaster:
His campaign.
Hey, this would be a great chance for Sarah to fill in and show us how that would work.
Posted by Bill McDonald | September 24, 2008 2:11 PM
Bock, bock, bock. Bock-Bock! Chicken noises, Flapping arms. If Obama does that he'll come out and debate.
Posted by Tom | September 24, 2008 2:16 PM
Bill has a great idea. Why not a Vice-Presidential debate? I love it. Bring it on. And no teleprompters or discreetly hidden ear mikes allowed.
Posted by NW Portlander | September 24, 2008 2:27 PM
If Obama had done the same thing, everyone would have praised him for putting the interests of the country ahead of his own campaign.
And J. Hendricks - regarding your "old man" swipe at McCain and his inability to multi-task -- what if someone else had said your same words but replaced "old" with "African-American"? Thank you for contributing to the over-inspiring discourse on our country's troubles.
Posted by Rich | September 24, 2008 2:33 PM
If Obama had done the same thing, everyone would have praised him for putting the interests of the country ahead of his own campaign.
I wonder what the country's reaction would be to an Obama rebuttal after the president's address tonight. Lord knows if it were President Kerry talking, candidate Romney would be screaming for equal time.
Posted by Chris Snethen | September 24, 2008 2:41 PM
NW Portlander -- VP debate is scheduled for Oct 2nd....
Posted by Larry K | September 24, 2008 2:41 PM
God forbid a Senator actually do his job instead of perpetually campaigning.
Posted by Joey Link | September 24, 2008 2:49 PM
This is silly, McCain can't handle two things at once. Isn't McCain suspending his campaign to go to DC to debate the merits of the bailout plan? What's another debate, I would think he would jump at any chance to show his leadership, especially after his campaign begged for lots of debates last summer.
Posted by Charlie | September 24, 2008 2:54 PM
I can't find a better summary of our situation than this:
http://www.energybulletin.net/node/46667
Posted by George Seldes | September 24, 2008 2:57 PM
George, now seems the time to cling to guns or religion.
Posted by meg | September 24, 2008 3:06 PM
If the debate is not postponed, the terrorists will have won.
Posted by joel dan walls | September 24, 2008 3:10 PM
Thank Larry . . . I'll take two on varying topics. I think the scheduled debate is on foreign policy. Let's schedule another one focusing on economics.
Posted by NW Portlander | September 24, 2008 3:57 PM
For the millions of Americans who are watching their 401ks and retirement dreams slip away during recent Wall St. plummets, this is welcome news. The current bailout plan isn't necessarily right, but something has to be done and it's going to take both Dems and Republicans.
Some Americans don't flipping care about a debate between McCain and Obama when they're watching their hard earned retirement spiral down the drain.
Posted by Amy | September 24, 2008 4:26 PM
The whole things is a disaster, in the epic style of the Titanic. They're just rearranging the deck chairs to make us all feel better about our savings, retirement and jobs. If the mess that was created by the industry and allowed by our politicians isn't "fixed", it will hurt us in blatant, scary, immediate ways. If it IS "fixed", it is still us paying, just not directly out of the accounts we are all freaking out over, but in the form of more taxes. Woo hoo!
Either way, the diagnosis appears terminal. And personally, I don't care about the debates with everything else going on. Anyone who is breathing pretty much knows where each candidate stands and already has their mind set.
Off to reserve my deck chair....
Posted by Livin la Vida Suburbia | September 24, 2008 5:06 PM
"Hey, this would be a great chance for Sarah to fill in and show us how that would work."
===
I agree. If Sarah debated Obama, he would loose.
Posted by Martha | September 24, 2008 5:46 PM
"God forbid a Senator actually do his job instead of perpetually campaigning."
Some furious spinning there.
McCain is crying "uncle," and calling for a time-out.
Maybe he should just drop his bid altogether if "actually doing his job" and "perpetually campaigning" are mutually exclusive.
This predictable-and-predicted financial meltdown is not such a disaster that McCain can't spare two hours for the crucial, long-scheduled first debate on a Friday night.
If he can't maybe he should just stick to being senator and forget about this whole "President" thing.
Posted by Sam | September 24, 2008 6:23 PM
Martha,
That would be the bad Disney movie ending, wouldn't it? A nation worries about Sarah's ability to step in during a crisis if McCain is elected, but the crisis happens during the campaign and McCain is called away to deal with it.
Sarah walks out by surprise in his place and proceeds to wow us all with her brilliance.
It would be daring - not unlike the decision to pick her in the first place.
Of course, if she was that brilliant she would already be all over the media, wowing us as she deftly answers the questions of the media. The fact that they appear to be hiding her, leads me to believe that they don't want us to know how well her mind works.
The ABC woman was right. It is sexist not letting her talk. Did women come all this way just to be stuck in "Operation: Sit There and Look Pretty"?
Posted by Bill McDonald | September 24, 2008 6:24 PM
Martha, the word is lose.
Posted by artsasinic | September 24, 2008 7:32 PM
Anderson Cooper just said McCain holds the record of current senators for most missed roll call votes. His last was April 9.
Obama is third, his last roll call vote was July 9.
In second place is Tim Johnson of South Dakota who has been recovering from a stroke.
Posted by Sam | September 24, 2008 7:43 PM
Bill:
"Sarah walks out by surprise in his place and proceeds to wow us all with her brilliance.
It would be daring - not unlike the decision to pick her in the first place.
Of course, if she was that brilliant she would already be all over the media, wowing us as she deftly answers the questions of the media. The fact that they appear to be hiding her, leads me to believe that they don't want us to know how well her mind works."
---
My October surprise is that Palin actually does well in the debates. And then the McPalin campaign releases her to do many interviews, solo, mano-a-womano, so to speak.
October Surprise? More like a shock to most people.
artsasinic:
"Martha, the word is lose."
Thanks. Ah, yes, the word ... but the woman? Could it have been Freudian slip?
Posted by Martha | September 24, 2008 8:08 PM
McChicken.
Posted by jonjon | September 24, 2008 8:50 PM
Johnny has to run back to Washington to participate in the bailout plan?
Is he on the Senate Banking Committee?
I think there are two reasons:
1. To allow Johnny to peddle some influence. That's what he did last time there was a financial crisis he "helped out" on. Of course, many forget that he was censured by the Senate for influence peddling and the savings & loans still collapsed. If you don't remember, just look up the Keating Five.
2. It's well known that McCain has surrounded himself with all kinds of high-falutin' corporate representatives in the higher reaches of his campaign. Well, lobbyists can't lobby too well when they're not in the lobby, but out on the hustings or trying to feel up Sarah. They need to concentrate so they can collect debts and influence the unsure. It's they who need to get back to DC.
Posted by godfry | September 24, 2008 8:58 PM
Female trollette sightings, ever since Failin began.
Say, you don't suppose they're trying to 'salt the mine' ...
Posted by Tenskwatawa | September 24, 2008 9:58 PM