Over at President Picker blog I also gave my take on the amazing decision from John McCain to suspend his campaign, pull out of the Friday Presidential Debate, and head to Washington to work on the fiscal crisis which is looming very large.
On balance I think this is probably a sincere move by McCain, though it would seem to me that if he *really* wanted a fully non-partisan approach he should have negotiated this surprise action with Obama. I think I’m cynical enough to think the McCain campaign saw this as an opportunity to dodge some bullets while at the same time doing the right thing in working on the fiscal crisis – a problem either Obama or McCain will immediately inherit as they rise to power in January 2009.
Now, Obama is left looking like a follower if he simply accepts this huge change to the campaign plans or looks disinterested in the crisis if he refuses. This is a strategically untenable position which is why Obama, in my view, needs to counter-propose something along similar lines and McCain needs to accept. This balances the political advantages and brings us back to solving the second greatest economic challenge in US history.
Joe Duck 
We need a leader who will roll up their sleeves and get the job done…not someone who will vote present or states…hey I am here if you need me…
Seriously America could vote someone in office who doesn’t know what they are doing without a teleprompter…
For the record I am not a huge McCain fan either but he is the clear choice when you look at the key issues facing this country and do it honestly.
We all want to believe in a candidate like Obama to drive unification within this country but you need substance behind it and he certainly isn’t a Ronald Reagan. Obama just isn’t ready for the job. Hillary would have been a much better choice and the DNC and the media have done this country a great dis-service by not putting woman as the candidate for their ticket.
It’s been interesting to watch the politics play out of McCain’s decision. Looks like the debate will go on as scheduled and McCain can save face because a deal will be “close” if not signed tomorrow.
Pops McCain performed better than expected. The emphasis on his experience–both political and military–may impress independents and some Dems (say Hillary supporters) who feel a bit of unease with Kid Obama. McCain also scored points on Obama’s voting record–the most liberal in the Senate. Mccain was not bad on energy either (nuclear should be on the table).
Obama was glib and arrogant as usual, though lacking his teleprompter, his speaking seemed a bit more colloquial. Representin’ y’all. In terms of substance, BO did raise a few decent points, especially McCain’s consistent support of Buscho, and his hawkishness. Regardless, Obama can’t deny his own radical roots, and his lack of big-time political experience. That said, his VP choice Biden probably outranks Calamity Sarah, at least on paper.
Given the choices–a rightist hawk vs an inexperienced quasi-socialist (and both with connections to fundamentalist churches) HoratioxCO recommends DFV (Don’t F-n Vote).
Alas, the Positive Energy for BO campaign of the New Worlds posse did not help matters much. The NW boys may have overlooked something in their L-Ron Hubbard hex-handbooks, or was it “Amazing Kreskin for Cali liberals”.
8 questions, Obama said McCain you are absolutely correct 9 times.
Obama has changed his position since the primaries on at least 6 items as evident to his responses last night.
If Obama thinks McCain is right and he keeps changing his positions to sound more like McCain – why are we even talking about it? Clearly Obama is out of his league.
I don’t care for Obama’s hipster high school principal act, and yes he’s capitulated. He seems leftist one day, rightist and religious the next. That’s how the politicos operate these days: when BO’s in Montana he quotes Reagan and Scripture. When he’s in LA, he’s hanging with brentwood marxists (ie Adrianna, etc.), talking about regulations, etc.
McCain, however, has sided with BushCo consistently; in ways, he’s probably even more hawkish. And yet’s he’s doing the “I took on corporate greed and excess, etc.” That’s not so obvious: McCain nearly went down with Keating and the S n L crisis during the Reagan years. J-Mc also recanted on his initial opposition to Busch’s tax slashes for the wealthy.
It’s like two mafia bosses cutting deals, deciding on turf. You get this, and we get that. And regardless who wins there will unlikely be any major changes: though, yes, the wealthy probably stand to lose with an Obama victory, if BO goes forward with Clinton-style policies, as some predict. I am not voting for either.
Even Bob Bennett – cleared McCain of any wrongdoing in the Keating 5. The only reason McCain was included in the reprimand is the Democratic controlled congress did not want it to be all Democrats that had their hands dirty.
McCain was guilty of attending a meeting and nothing else.
What is most disturbing about BO is his partnership with Ayers (not withstanding the terrorist issue), BO blew over $100 million dollars on a failed social community project and this is BO’s stellar achievement in an executive role – of course he neglected to include this important period and association in either of this two memoirs – with all his accomplishments as a freshman senator.
Seriously America this man does not have the experience to run this country – Dan Quail has stronger credentials – now if that doesn’t scare you then we have a nation of ostriches and sheep.
Stuff like this sums it up for me.
My nephew was in Iraq during these votes and anyone who has family in the military cannot afford to have a leader who will play politics with their lives…
This hits home with any military family.
Obama stammers while pandering stating he has a bracelet too…but does he wear it – NO WAY IN HELL. His far left would cut off his arm if he ever wore a bracelet for a soldier in our military.
This is the hypocrisy we face if he is elected.
Unbelievable…
This is who we might have as our commander in chief.
Obama then tries to state Kissinger agrees with him – thank goodness Kissenger came out and cleared this up.
Foreign Policy 101 – you never legitimize an adversary and you never meet with them without leverage.
Our economic issues are a big problem but our economy will recover regardless on whether we bail it out or not…
However if we mess up with scary adversaries like Russia, Iran, etc…we will have much bigger problems that will not fix themselves.
Most pundits I’ve seen, and that includes ones on both sides of the political aisle, seem to think it was a toss-up with no clear “winner”. That was my first impression as well.
Re 7 & 8:
I suspect many military people are not that supportive of Bush, or McCain. Not sure of the demographics, but it’s a myth that military people all vote GOP (I’ve been around a few military families, and many of ’em are dems). Probably a majority will go with McCain, but Obama probably has quite a few people in uniform pulling for him.
McCain’s with the neo-cons/israeli hawks: the israelis are READY to invade Iran, according to many reports. If you approve of that hawkishness, vote to put Commander McMaverick at the helm. If you want inexperience, capitulation, weakness, double-talking, vote BO. That’s what’s so cool about Amerikan democracy: we are given choices between mediocrities.
My issue with the Iran situation…why isn’t the world jumping up and down screaming about what Iran is saying to the world?
History has already proven a Chamberlain approach to this will lead to a much worse situation.
We either learn from History or we are doomed to repeat it.
And then Obama has the audacity to suggest that I’manidiot from Iran may not be the most powerful person in Iran – sorry guys that has to be one of the scariest things I have ever heard anyone say.
If we don’t deal with Iran in a very serious manner a few more million people could be murdered.
Simply outrageous!!!
Obama said that he too had a bracelet. After fumbling and straining to remember the name, he revealed that his had the name of Sergeant Ryan David Jopek of Merrill, Wisconsin.
Shockingly, however, Madison resident Brian Jopek, the father of Ryan Jopek, the young soldier who tragically lost his life to a roadside bomb in 2006, recently said on a Wisconsin Public Radio show that his family had asked Barack Obama to stop wearing the bracelet with his son’s name on it. Yet Obama continues to do so despite the wishes of the family.
Yes, America needs a strong leader; we don’t need a hothead (a 72 year old hothead at that), OR some eloquent, beltway bureaucrat-academic. In other words, we’re f-ed either way. Many in blogland are addicted to bipartisanship and don’t care for being told the “demopublicans” are to blame, but it often appears that way (as that quack Ron Paul suggested–)
Even responsible (rather than macho) conservatives might take issue with McCainian saber-rattling. Ever perused Pat Buchanan’s writings? Not my fave, but he’s been scribbling some interesting things on what the neo-cons and their boy McCain might have in store.