Senator John McCain is suspending his presidential campaign and trying to bail out of the debate scheduled for this Friday evening at 9 PM with Senator Barack Obama.
The most moderate criticism is to say that McCain can't multi-task.
Mores seriously, it appears that McCain is making a politically desperate move to revive his own campaign, rather than to revive the US economy.
McCain says he is suspending his campaign to fly to Washington, DC Thursday morning to help with the economic crisis.
But McCain has no committee responsibility or expertise to deal with the substantial issues now pending before the US Congress.
We all remember how McCain confided his inexpertise to the Wall Street Journal, and then proved that point last week when he showed himself out of touch with the economic crisis and conflicted in his message of an influence-free staff when his campaign manager has been by Fannie Mae.
McCain's intervention leaves the impression of a bull in a China Shop -- as he still cannot temper his alarmist and defeatist rhetoric.
McCain announced this afternoon that he believes it is unlikely that the Congress and the Administration can agree on a bailout bill when both Congress and the Administration have made reassuring statements to the contrary - that they have achieved consensus on a number of issues, and are working toward a compromise that they hope to ink by the end of the week.
McCain's hurriedly announced initiative - his latest "Hail Mary" pass - may have more to do with the polls released today and late yesterday showing McCain dropping like a stone by 9 points as compared with Obama, and precisely because of the contrasting favorable reaction to Obama's approach to the national economic crisis.
McCain is therefore posturing, not leading.
We may discover that this political stunt was coordinate with the remarks President Bush plans to make this evening.
If there are going to be any changes regarding this Friday's debate, it might be to change the subject matter to the economy from foreign policy.
But it shouldn't be canceled.
Now more than ever, no matter what happens with the debate, unlike any other presidential election in our time, we are getting a chance to see how McCain or Obama would lead us if either was our Chief Executive.
Impetuous Opportunistic McCain or Sure and Steady Obama.
You decide.
J. Flannery
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2 comments:
Thank you John Flannery for keeping us posted! What can we Maryland folks do to help you in the battleground?
Dear Dan,
Come on over across the Potomac to Northern Virginia where Obama has a twenty point lead over McCain and help make the numbers bigger (in the North) to offset those areas where we're close or trailing. There are more than 40 Obama offices in Virginia and a bunch in NOVA across from almost any bridge connecting MD to VA. You would sure be welcome. It's that kind of a campaign - historic and vital. Nor is it hurt by our former Governor, Mark Warner, who is pulling away by 30 points statewide. We have a strong congressional candidate in Fairfax and in my congressional district, the 10th, where I ran a few years ago (1984), we have a challenger, Judy Feder, who could really win.
All the best.
John
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