Who’s “playing politics” with the bailout? Depends on who you ask. Republican presidential nominee, John McCain has suspended his campaign and asked Democratic rival Barack Obama, to join him and postpone Friday’s debate. Obama says, no way. According to AP News:
NEW YORK – Republican John McCain said Wednesday that he wants to postpone Friday’s debate to deal with the nation’s financial problems, but Democrat Barack Obama said “it’s more important than ever” that the country hear from its next president.
McCain says that putting politics aside, the need to address the economic crisis requires both candidates to rise above partisanship, and get back to doing the work they were already elected to do:
“It has become clear that no consensus has developed to support the administration’s proposal,” McCain said. “I do not believe that the plan on the table will pass as it currently stands, and we are running out of time.”
Obama was quick to point out however, that working together to “issue a statement” was his idea:
Obama repeatedly stressed at his news conference that he called McCain first to propose that they issue a joint statement in support of a package to help fix the economy as soon as possible. He said McCain called back several hours later, as Obama was leaving a rally in Florida, and agreed to the idea of a statement but also said he wanted to postpone the debate and hold joint meetings in Washington.
Obama said he suggested they first issue a joint statement showing bipartisanship.
“When I got back to the hotel, he had gone on television to announce what he was going to do,” Obama said.
Whether you believe, as some do, that McCain, reacting to increasingly bad poll numbers, is looking to jumpstart his favorabilty by trying to appear decisive and presidential, or that Obama, the heretofore reluctant debater, is showing strength by pressing on and claiming that the debate schedule must be adhered to, since the people need to hear from the candidates and presidents need to be able to multitask, one thing is clear; even in unusual times, we get politics as usual.
My take?
Seems to me, while enjoying his Walter Mitty-ish visions of press conferences-to-come praising him for “reaching across the aisle” to his politically wounded opponent, in an effort to jointly reassure Americans worried about the economy that he and his rival were “above politics,” Barack Obama got “politicked.” In fact, he got blindsided in plain sight. Like a sadistic little schoolyard bully sucker-punching a kid in a wheelchair, only to get his ass karate-kicked by a better-prepared-than-expected “victim,” Obama got played.
What he does next will say a lot about who he really is.
PUMA
Just Say No Deal
Janet Brown at the Commission on Presidential Debates:at jb@debates.org
If the debate is going to be rescheduled, there is time to make sure that ALL candidates who have qualified on state ballots across the country participate.