McCain's Pretending to be Obama

What a charade.

WaPo: Slipping in the polls? Concerned that Americans may be paying more attention to the declining economy -- and even supporting economic regulation again -- than to your own stellar leadership abilities?

What's a Republican presidential nominee to do?

If you're named John McCain, the answer became apparent yesterday afternoon -- make the solution to the economic crisis all about you. Suspend your campaign. Pull out of tomorrow's debate -- a trivial exercise merely allowing Americans to judge the two candidates side by side. Change the terms of the nation's economic discussion from the course we should take, and the defects of the laissez-faire model that got us here, to the indispensability of John McCain, leader of leaders.

(Besides, if tomorrow's debate goes on as scheduled, it will doubtless focus on the economy as well as foreign affairs, its announced topic. McCain sees foreign policy as one area where he can outshine Obama. Only by rescheduling the debate after the crisis has passed can he be sure he will have his moment in the foreign policy sun.)
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McCain's ploy was transparent. To counter the public's preference for Obama's economics over his own, he would get both of them in a room and emerge proclaiming that they had reached agreement, that they had no differences. In fact, they have very real differences. McCain wants to retain tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans; Obama wants to create tax cuts for all but the wealthiest 10 percent of Americans. Obama favors policies -- through investments in infrastructure and education and through legislation enabling Americans to join unions without fear of being fired -- to build the base of the economy, while McCain's record is one of opposition to such policies. Obama favors trade agreements only when they raise labor and environmental standards with our trading partners and protect them here at home; McCain has supported every trade pact that has weakened such standards and has never said one word about protecting our standards or raising them abroad.

Comparisons such as these are odious, however, to McCain's prospects.

McCain's Delay the Debate Stunt

McCain is working it -- politics first. McCain hoped to delay the debate, stating that the bailout was more important. Obama says he can do both.
Former republican congressman, Mickey Edwards, had this to say:

Oh, brother. What idiot came up with this stunt?

It ranks somewhere on the stupidity scale between plain silly and numbingly desperate. McCain and Obama are both members of the senate and they're both able to help craft a solution if they wish to do so without putting the presidential campaign on hold; after all, I’m sure congressional leaders would be willing to accept their calls if they have some important insights to impart. read more

McCain Suspends Campaign

Update 3: This is rich. McCain to be outed for his stunt. Harry Reid says we need leadership not a photo op. 

Update 2: Obama says he can swing working on the bailout and the debate. The debate is on. McCain is in over his head (I say that.)

Update: Obama actually initiated this in the morning but McCain decided to look good and make an announcement. 

NPR: At 8:30 this morning, Senator Obama called Senator McCain to ask him if he would join in issuing a joint statement outlining their shared principles and conditions for the Treasury proposal and urging Congress and the White House to act in a bipartisan manner to pass such a proposal. At 2:30 this afternoon, Senator McCain returned Senator Obama's call and agreed to join him in issuing such a statement. The two campaigns are currently working together on the details.

Update: McCain has asked for the debate to be postponed. 

Original post:

McCain suspends his campaign to work on the bailout and calls on Obama to do the same. Good one. Actually, it's a good idea. But -- why do they need to suspend the campaign? Obama and McCain can work on the bailout, while the campaign teams campaign.

Nice gesture, I think. But it reeks of a political ploy and maybe he's hoping for some more prep time for the debate, since this could move the debate to next week.

I think McCain ought to just end his campaign for the good of the country. Get out of the way of progress.
McCain's announcement