I couldn't agree more. I find myself having a repulsed visceral response to this very-chaotic choice. I hope others do too.

Later in the day, John McCain surprised the Obama campaign by going before the press and announcing a cessation of the campaign and a delay in the debate.

Where later is 'about fifteen minutes later'.

The news broke at 2.58pm ET, and the press statement was recorded before that. As Obama said, he found out when he got back to his hotel in Tampa.

McCain's actions were designed as 'catnip for cable', as Karen Tumulty has described the kind of thing that keeps the cablenews networks buzzing. It also vindicates George Will on McCain's temperament.

a "bipartisan stunt"? a stunt? is that a typo? if that perfectly reasonable plan of action is a "stunt", then what the hell is John McCant's little press conference?

now i hear that mccain wants the debate held on the night when palin and mccain were supposed to have their debate.
this will give mccain time to rest from mental and physical exhaustion and do some birding on the red rocks and sarah palin can have more time reading "foreign policy for dummies."
what a nightmare that mccain and palin are running for the two highest offices, especially at a time when we seem to be on the brink of collapse.
i wish obama would appear and speak to the country anyway.
..........maccain, the warrior, ran away from the duel.

Obama got worked - he almost deserves it for his bipartisan unity shit.

i know there is a way that this situation can be spun into gold for the obama campaign.
he should use the time for a televised town hall meeting, a televised fireside chat, with an explanation of the crisis and the bailout measures, for people like myself, who still cannot really understand what is happening, and wish a leader would take the time to talk to the american people.
what about us?
no-one has taken the time to talk to the american people in terms they can understand, about any of this.
this is a golden opportunity for barack obama.
we are like the families of patients, sitting in the emergeny room waiting room...waiting to hear what is going on...and no-one is coming out to tell us.
some leader needs to address the american people...if mccain wont appear, then obama should use that time.
obama could do this.
he deserves that slot of time, with or without mccain.

Obama got worked - he almost deserves it for his bipartisan unity shit.

I'm not familiar with the phrase "got worked," but it sounds like you think Obama comes out of this looking worse. Why? Wasn't there a poll a post or two back that showed that people thought McCain's proposal was stupid?

I'm skeptical about Obama's bipartisan unity talk, and I know a lot of people on the left are a lot more than skeptical. But so far, for him, it seems to be working.

sorry,
but the more i think about it, the more important i think it is for obama to use that time to address the american people.
he is absolutely right.
the american people need to know where he and mccain stand on issues, more than ever.
if mccain wont show, all the more time for obama to be a voice of reason and leadership at this time of crisis.
let it work to his and our advantage.
he should say that the american people have a right to hear from those running for the presidency, in a time of crisis.

obama is running for the presidency.
it seems, mccain is running from the presidency....or at least from the campaign.

OK. let's calm down. The fact is, we don't need McCain to be there for McCain to be there. All they have to do is load up a little audio player with 8 or 9 variants on "My friends, My opponent does not have the experience" and so forth. For accuracy toss in a "My friends, I was not able to do that for 5 and a half years, but I understand." that could pop up from time to time.

Then for each question to "McCain" turn over one of those 8 ball things, and play the indicated answer. The essence would be there, and it would be a bit more lifelike.

I think they should have Obama debate Norm McDonald doing Dan Ackroyd doing Bob Dole doing John McCain. Norm's a neutral party -- he's Canadian.

it would be terrible if Obama actually did his Job as Senator for a week wouldn't it? If he does get elected President is he immediatly going to start running for the head of the UN? He's never shown any desire to actually do what he is elected for, just notch the latter and keep climbing.

It would really suck for the nation if McCain went back and got the legislation he proposed three years ago that would have prevented this mess if Democrats hadn't killed it in commitee

it would be terrible if Obama actually did his Job as Senator for a week wouldn't it? If he does get elected President is he immediatly going to start running for the head of the UN? He's never shown any desire to actually do what he is elected for, just notch the latter and keep climbing.

It would really suck for the nation if McCain went back and got the legislation he proposed three years ago that would have prevented this mess if Democrats hadn't killed it in commitee

In the first sentence of this comment, the initial letter of the first word should be capitalized, but it isn't. "Job," on the other hand, shouldn't be capitalized but it is. In the second sentence, "immediately" is misspelled. In the third sentence, you wrote "latter" where you probably meant "ladder." And in the fourth sentence, the word "committee" is misspelled, and you forgot a period at the end.

I'm not familiar with the phrase "got worked," but it sounds like you think Obama comes out of this looking worse. Why? Wasn't there a poll a post or two back that showed that people thought McCain's proposal was stupid?

I think Obama got given a present. He can complain about the political opportunism of McCain's stunt, he can show up to the debate an dominate it if McCain doesn't show, and it'll be bloody for McCain afterwards. Or McCain can relent and show up for the debate and then he's flip-flopped and back-pedaled and proved his manuever was a political stunt and . . .

I see no way in which John McCain is better off for having pulled this stupid stunt, and I seen no way in which Obama is worse off.

I'm very disappointed. But then, what did I expect from McCain? Reagan?

Bah.

Idiot.

It would really suck for the nation if McCain went back and got the legislation he proposed three years ago that would have prevented this mess if Democrats hadn't killed it in commitee

What proposed legislation would that be, Nate, and is said proposed legislation what McCain is "going back" to get passed? What are you talking about?

Ezra, the main thrust of your post is fine, but I'm very disappointed at this (regarding Obama):

It was a bipartisan stunt meant to construct a protected space for the congressional negotiations,

Stunt is not a positive word, it evokes a circus or magic act - not sincerity.

You don't amend your posts often, but this one needs an update with a better choice of words. You may not like Obama's continued appeal to bipartisan efforts, but there is no evidence here of lack of sincerity on his part.

it would be terrible if Obama actually did his Job as Senator for a week wouldn't it? If he does get elected President is he immediatly going to start running for the head of the UN? He's never shown any desire to actually do what he is elected for, just notch the latter and keep climbing.

It would really suck for the nation if McCain went back and got the legislation he proposed three years ago that would have prevented this mess if Democrats hadn't killed it in commitee

In the first sentence of this comment, the initial letter of the first word should be capitalized, but it isn't. "Job," on the other hand, shouldn't be capitalized but it is. In the second sentence, "immediately" is misspelled. In the third sentence, you wrote "latter" where you probably meant "ladder." And in the fourth sentence, the word "committee" is misspelled, and you forgot a period at the end.
-----

yOU aRE sO sMART cYRUS! And you make such good points.

Cut to the chase. This is purely a political stunt by McSame, to obscure the fact that he knows he will "get worked " by Obama in a debate. Question: Wasn't the first debate supposed to center around McSame's so-called "strength" foreign policy? Well then, if that is the case, he should have been more than willing to show up Obama with a dazzling presentation of his acumen.I mean, I could see if the first debate was on something with which McSame has admitted to know little about, yet would be relevant to this current situation i.e. the economy. But no. He will deprive the American people of the ability to see just how capable he is on issues regarding foreign policy, and inversely to some, how incapable Obama obstensibly is, to rush back to Washington in a very auspicious way to inject himself into a conversation regarding something that revolves around an issue with which he admittedly is not an expert upon. Yeah, an old professor of mine had a saying that I think is appropo to describe what's really going on here. She said: Don't piss on my head a tell me it's raining.McPalin sucks.

"McCain went back and got the legislation he proposed three years ago that would have prevented this mess if Democrats hadn't killed it in commitee"

Uh, that was a Republican-controlled committee, genius.

It's worth noting that this is a reprise of the snotty snit-fit that McCain pulled on Obama in 2006 over ethics reform.

Yes.. Obama got worked a little bit on this one. As in .. got worked over, as in was stabbed in the back. I think he actually believed a little bit in the McCain spiel that we're all Americans, and that we should rise above the politics. Obama plainly thought that McCain would put country first before his political ambitions. He plainly thought wrong, as EK so eloquently described.

McCain saw this as a chance to jump out and make Obama look bad. Obama handed him the ability to do it, and he took it even though it would have been better for the country if he would not have.

Horrile thing is that we got this economy from the republicans who have been in control of the congress, i.e. the purse strings and all that go along with them for all but the last 2 years. They made the rules, they deregulated the industry, and they caused the heads of f/f mae mac to be fired and hired that made it all even worse.

Now russia can look at us and say that we didnt win the cold war, we just delayed losing it. Imagine as they grow in strength from our unquenchable thirst for energy how they look across and see our failing economy compared to their growing one. Just as we turned our backs on them in the 90s they are going to laugh at us if we need any help. We are in a real pitiful situation because of the hubrus and greed of the republican party. ..and yes some democrats too. But clearly Obama was not a piece of that crowd, and clearly McCain was.

..another way for Obama to turn this around. He needs to make it plain that the leader of the free world needs to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time. Washington doesnt need McCain to be in town to solve our problems, he has email and phones just like the rest of us.

Its very telling that McCain feels he cant handle both tasks at once. Obama needs to make this glaringly obvious and continue on, while at the same time participating in the economic debate remotely.

What happens when theres an emergency in 2009? Is McCain going to call for a time out while he goes into a huddle with his good ole boy republican planners? ..nice leadership.

yOU aRE sO sMART cYRUS! And you make such good points.

Posted by: TBone

Thank you. What other kind of point could I have made, do you think? Nate obviously prefers McCain to Obama, but his comment there is simply meaningless noise. Does Nate think that Obama's record of absenteeism over the past year is any better than McCain's? (It isn't.) Why, and more importantly how, would Obama run for head of the UN? (He couldn't and wouldn't.) What was this magical legislation McCain proposed in 2005, and how did Democrats stop it? (In a Republican-controlled Senate, how did Democrats kill a Republican-sponsored bill in a Republican-led committee? I think this comment shows some more problems with the crackpot theory.)

I refuse to try to criticize Nate's ideas when he apparently doesn't have any. If all he leaves open is bad proofreading, he only has himself to blame.