This maybe the strangest bit of news to come out of this campaign season. John McCain . . . . well, just read this yourself:
Senator John McCain said Wednesday that he would suspend campaigning on Thursday, and seek a delay in this week’s planned presidential debate, so that he could return to Washington to try to forge a consensus on a financial bailout package.
According to McCain,
“it has become clear that no consensus has developed to support the Administration’s proposal. I do not believe that the plan on the table will pass as it currently stands, and we are running out of time.”
Fair enough, but why cancel the debate and — perhaps more to the point — why not cancel Thursday’s planned appearance at the Clinton Global Forum? Why not head back today?
Ari Melber in The Nation offers McCain a better alternative:
That’s nice. Here’s a better idea: Lay out those details in public, in a transparent, free-wheeling televised the debate this Friday, after officially changing the topic from foreign policy to the economy. Good leaders can change course to meet a crisis, but they don’t run from public scrutiny. John McCain may hope his Beltway trip looks presidential, but you don’t need to be in Washington to rally the American people to a solution to these problems.
Hank Kalet 