To debate or not to debate...

...that is a stupid question.

McCain announced yesterday that he plans to halt his campaign to help Washington deal with the current economic crisis. He urged Obama to do the same and asked that their debate set for tomorrow be delayed.

When I first heard this news I couldn't believe it. More games and politicizing of issues. Does he seriously believe that he and Obama will play such a pivotal role in the decision being made in Washington that they couldn't possibly go on with the scheduled debate? Obama's response to his request really hit the nail on the head,

"It is going to be part of the president's job to deal with more than one thing at once. I think there's no reason why we can't be constructive in helping to solve this problem and also tell the American people what we believe, and where we stand, and where we want to take the country."

YES! Our President should be able to have a handle on two things at once! I personally think that there were two main factors driving McCain's attempt to delay the debate.

(1) He wants to be known as the hero that put "America First"

He wants the American people to think that his number one concern is them, but in reality he saw himself slipping in the polls and decided to do something drastic. He already chose Sarah Palin as the VP nominee, so now he had to try something else. After missing an appearance on David Letterman's show in order to fly to Washington to focus on the crisis (a.k.a do another interview in NY), Letterman made a funny, yet true, observation on his show

“We’re suspending the campaign. Suspending it because there’s an economic crisis, or because the poll numbers are sliding?"

McCain is putting "Campaign First" not "America First", and his attempt to delay the debate shows this clearly. We only have 40 days left to learn about the person who will lead our country for at least the next 4 years - McCain needs to learn how to multi-task and not neglect his commitment as the Republican party's nominee. If the debate was something like a fundraiser, or typical speaking engagement, I would understand - but this is a nationally broadcasted debate. This is one of the few times that the nominees will be able to talk to millions of people about serious issues that will directly affect America's future. McCain should realize this and stop making a serious event into a political game. As Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said,

"We need leadership, not a campaign photo op"

(2) He is scared to death to have Sarah Palin debate Joe Biden

McCain has already gone through great lengths to make the VP debate easier on Sarah Palin. The New York Times reported that the McCain campaign stuck a deal with the Obama campaign to allow free-flowing style debates between the Presidential candidates in return for a softer, more structure styled debate for the Vice Presidential candidates.

"At the insistence of the McCain campaign, the Oct. 2 debate between the Republican nominee for vice president, Gov. Sarah Palin, and her Democratic rival, Senator Joseph R. Biden, will have shorter question-and-answer segments than those for the presidential nominees, the advisers said. There will also be much less opportunity for free-wheeling, direct exchanges between the running mates."

The McCain campaign has made it clear that they do not have confidence in Palin's ability to speak to the press, and now they are making it clear that they do not have confidence in her ability to compete in a debate. This is just sad. How do they expect anyone to trust her to lead this country if they can't even trust her enough to speak in a debate?

Her Katie Couric interviews make it clear why they lack confidence in her abilities.



She gets frazzled at every question. She won't even admit that listing Alaska's proximity to Russia as Foreign Policy experience is a joke. The few interviews that the McCain campaign have allowed her to do explain why they are afraid for her to debate. This does not bode well for someone who has over a 30% chance of becoming the next President if McCain gets elected.

With only 40 days left until the election, if tomorrow's debate gets delayed there is a good chance that the VP debate will have to be canceled all together in order to allow time for the 3 Presidential debates, and McCain knows this.

McCain's campaign suspension and his request to delay the debate is desperate attempt to regain momentum. The debates are they way we really get to know the candidates. We get to see how they interact with each other and with others, and how they react when put on the spot - important things to know about our next President. I understand that the financial crisis is a huge deal, but so is deciding who will lead our country the next 4 years. McCain is not putting politics aside by doing this. Instead, he is infusing more politics into the debate and into the important negotiations being held in Washington.

As Paul Begala, a Democratic strategist, said to CNN,

"It's preposterous that we can't have a presidential debate in the middle of this economic crisis. We had a presidential campaign in 1864, when Sherman was marching on Atlanta. We had a presidential election in 1944, when D-Day was going on in Normandy. We can have a debate on Friday. In fact, it's probably the most important thing McCain and them could be doing, would be to debate the issues."

Only a matter of hours until the debate (hopefully) and only 40 days until the election...