The Dog Ate my Homework

I can decide if I should laugh or cry. McCain wants to postpone the debates , nay, the very campaign, so he can be in Washington to "work on the bailout proposal" with the President and congressional Republicans.

As if he as anything substantive to do with it. He doesn't sit on any of the committees that might be convened, he doesn't hold any sort of tie-breaker vote, he doesn't seem to have any sort of plan of his own that he needs to propose. Sure, the president needs all hands to flog this idea, but this sudden need to be involved is a pretty thin, pretty pathetic excuse to not debate Obama on Friday. He has no primary role in this economic crisis, except to campaign. Neither of the candidates do - and if they are needed in Washington on Friday to discuss the proposal in congress, they should both be able to manage a debate that night. That's not an unreasonable expectation from someone, anyone, who want to be the President.

He claims that we all need to focus on this economic problem, that he needs to stop everything he's doing to be there in Congress and get his spoon on the pot.

What the hell? He can't actually manage to do more than one thing at a time? He can't deal with more than on crisis without running away? And this is a person who could be the President? Does he think that when competing problems erupt -- and they do -- he can just skip out on one if he doesn't want to deal with it. I would like a president who realizes that you have to multi-task, or at least be able to deal with the rigors of a very stressful, very difficult job.

I know this was supposed to play to the US Public as McCain being concerned about the crsis, jumping in to focus on the big issue and be all presidential. Unfortunately, it has come across to most people as "I dont' want to talk about economic issues with Obama on Friday." You can supply the reason - not prepared, don't have a position to articulate, overly stressed, whatever, but it isn't coming across as noble and self-sacrificing, it's a gimmick, and z shallow, transparent one at that.

If McCain really does need to be in Washington, then they should shuffle the debate schedule and have the VP debate on Friday (instead of "rescheduled at some point in the future"). Biden and Palin should be ready, right?

Right?