mccain is suspending his campaign

[Deckard]

Originally Posted by nosajmunson

it can be spun that he was willing to stop to address a serious issue on our economy and Obama was not.

In answer to Cacophony's original question, the above is how I see this being received by the general public. Particularly if the financial situation worsens. Obama could easily be made to appear like the one who's playing politics in all this, who's "insensitive" and "disrespectful" to the severity of the current situation.

Certainly McCain is dominating the news sites at the moment, looking tough and leader-like.

Quick scan of the homepages main stories...

CNN: McCain puts campaign on hold to work on economy
(pic of McCain)

CBS: McCain Calls For Delaying Debate
(pic of McCain)

ABC: McCain Wants Debate Delayed for Econ. Crisis; Obama Responds, Says No
(pic of McCain and Obama)

Fox: McCain Halts Campaign Over Financial Crisis
(no pic)

MSNBC: Crisis engulfs debate politics
(pic of McCain)

BBC: US rivals at odds on debate delay
(pic of McCain)

If Obama and McCain get into a public feud over this, Obama is at a greater risk of losing the argument than McCain, because he can't possibly accuse McCain of using this situation to dodge the debate (if he did, he'd be bombarded by howls of sanctimonious 'How dare you', and that sort of response can carry a lot of weight).

[Deckard]

Good to see that already the BBC are making it known how this is being handled.

The BBC's Kevin Connolly in Washington says Mr McCain billed his dramatic move as a gesture above party politics at a moment of national crisis.

But, our correspondent says, it was smart tactics too because it conveyed a sense that Mr McCain was taking the lead on an issue where so far voters appear to have been finding Barack Obama more convincing.

[kagenaki koe]

is being a general, showing leadership, being a man of action really all that great if one doesn't have a plan or clue on solving the issue at hand? it's like CHARGE! CHARGE! CHARGE! or DRILL BABY DRILL! all over again

[Deckard]

is being a general, showing leadership, being a man of action really all that great if one doesn't have a plan or clue on solving the issue at hand?

No.

And the more I'm reading, the less pessimistic I am about the way Obama will come out of this. Seems people are already speaking out.

From CNN

McCain announced the suspension of his campaign shortly after their conversation, Obama said, adding that both campaigns still were working on the joint statement.

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-New York, said McCain's move was "just weird."

"We haven't heard hide nor hair of Sen. McCain in these negotiations," said Schumer, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee. "He has not been involved except for an occasional, unhelpful statement, sort of thrown from far away, and the last thing we need in these delicate negotiations is an injection of presidential politics."

And a good initial analysis from the Guardian's Michael Tomasky:

McCain's debate ploy

He sums up just how bad it was looking for McCain earlier today....

[Sean]

Originally Posted by Deckard

If Obama and McCain get into a public feud over this, Obama is at a greater risk of losing the argument than McCain, because he can't possibly accuse McCain of using this situation to dodge the debate (if he did, he'd be bombarded by howls of sanctimonious 'How dare you', and that sort of response can carry a lot of weight).

Which is exactly why Obama will probably stick to his "being President will require multi-tasking, so we should be able to tackle the issue and still have a debate at the same time" argument. Don't accuse McCain of political posturing, just point out that he shouldn't have to suspend his campaign to deal with this if he's truly qualified for the job.

I've been unpleasantly shocked by how people react before, but I just feel like this is going to blow up in McCain's face a bit. It stinks of desperation. Although, case in point, so did his selection of Sarah Palin, and she brought him some additional support there for a while, so who knows?

And Troy McClure - you beat me to it. I was coming here to post the Letterman stuff. I can't wait to watch the show tonight....


EDIT - Hmmmm...and how convenient that this campaign suspension would also mean pushing the VP debates later. Does someone need a bit more time to study perhaps?