Is anyone keeping track of all the times McCain declares something one day only to reverse himself days or hours later?

Even George Costanza, when he learned to do the opposite of every instinct, remembered to not follow his original instincts first.

McCain's debate performance tonight will consist of two things: I was a POW and blatant lies that Obama will have to spend all his time refuting because the media will be neck deep in the "spin room" post debate to do it themselves.

Don't worry. The media will save John McCain from himself once again. They always do.

I think that this time around, the media has largely had enough of John McCain and his self-promotion. It's become clear that his vice-presidential nominee is a joke and that this latest stunt was transparently self-serving. Only the Faux News spokespods will defend him now.

This is effectively an admission by McCain that the whole "suspend the campaign" thing was bullshit. Not that that wasn't obvious from the get-go.

What an awesome strategy, dude. Way to go, McNugget.

Eager to restore his reputation as a serious person, I predict John McCain will enter the stage tonite stripped to the waist and hauling a full-sized wooden cross on his shoulders.

Obama plays poker. McCain plays craps. Obama read the bluff; McCain hoped for the dice to go his way.

I think Fiona's right.

It's pretty special to see the universe swing from calling McCain's bluff one way (offering a deal while he still refused to debate) to calling it the other way (taking away the deal and having him debate.)

What a wonderful, exhausting, headspinning election.

Tonight's debate is supposed to be about foreign policy, but it will be interesting to see if Obama manages to steer it (or at least some of it) to the economy and, of course, The Bailout. What's McCain to do, cry foul? Yeah, be a WATB, good move.

I'm praying that at some juncture in the debate tonight Obama simply recaps the McCain "Leadership" timeline of the last two weeks. Putting it all together for the viewers in one brief statement ought to bring McCain into focus, finally, for the all Americans who still don't get how dangerous he is.

I don't think a "ferocious" personal attack will work at this point. The meme of McCain as borderline unstable is finally out there, and if McCain is seen as anything but cool, he drives that idea forward. Plus his old media pals seem less eager to shill for him, again finally, after the events of the last two weeks. That said, a week ago I planned to skip the debate, figuring I knew what we'd see. Now, who knows WHAT will happen tonight?

I think the host hinted he'd ask non-foreign policy questions.

Obama should accidentally call McShame "Songbird" a couple times and give the poor old sod a heart attack right then and there.

Au contraire, the (suspended) McCain campaign has already put up ads declaring "McCain Wins Debate!" Anything that actually happens tonight is irrelevant since McCain has pre-emptively defined reality in his favor, leaving Obama with no options but to gracefully concede defeat or look like a pathetic sore loser.

weary john mccain mutters an invective, and seems a little ill-tempered with cindy, on the plane.
he is looking a little pale.

instead of spending the evening falling asleep on his one-of-twelve barca-loungers, preferably next to the stone fireplace in sedona, with the scent of autumn in the air, mccain needs to shlep wearily off for a debate in mississippi.
retirement sounds awfully good at this moment, doesnt it, john?

McCain's debate strategery: It will be all Surge, all the time. McCain will try to nail Obama on the success of the fabulous Surge and how he didn't support it. He'll then try to nail him on sitting down and negotiating with our "enemies." Finally, he'll wrap it up with "victory in Iraq" and the pundits will declare that the Maverick is back!

A "ferocious and personal assault on Obama"? Yeah, as if.

After the mockery and bad press from the rest of the media outside the right-wing bubble over his reversals, contradictions and campaign stunts, old McCranky is swiftly running out of options to get the voters swinging his way. If he makes the "debate" about personalities (I.e., insults and/or smears), rather than issues, I don't think even the in-the-tank press is going to be able to save him.
And if he blows; on public TV -Game Over.

sending
light and best wishes
to barack obama
for this evening's debate.

like the beautiful waterlily.
of the mud,
but not in the mud.

@Charles -

"McCain has pre-emptively defined reality in his favor."

What does that even mean? The only thing the web ad does is very clearly underline that, once again, it doesn't matter at all what actually happens in reality to the McCain campaign. This is just one more example to bolster a pattern.

Obama should bring it up in the debate. It'd be a great laugh line and will McCain on the defensive.