Lies, Half-Truths and Contradictions: The debate cancellation
Before we go canceling Friday's presidential debate -- in the name of "meet(ing) as Americans" as Sen. John McCain suggests, to bail out the financial marekts -- let's get some questions answered. Because the more we learn about McCain's debate shutdown idea, the more this is starting to smell like a steaming pile of LHC suggested by a dude who's dropping in the latest polls. Like the poll which gives Sen. Barack Obama a double-digit lead in uh, trustworthiness.
To review: Obama called McCain first to suggest they issue a bi-partisan statement in support of a package to patch up the economy. McCain called back several hours later, agreed, and said he'd like to also suspend the debate and hold meetings in Washington. Obama said let's just issue the statement first and take it from there.
"When I got back to the hotel, he had gone on television to announce what he was going to do," Obama said.
That's hardball, baby.
So now we're in a political staredown. Some questions:
1. Why did McCain hijack the bi-partisan olive branch and go onto TV first so he could announce his plans to suspend the debate? In his cancel-the-debates statement Wednesday McCain said "Americans across our country lament the fact that partisan divisions in Washington have prevented us from addressing our national challenges." Well, now we know why.
2. Dudes, has anyone heard of multi-tasking? It's 2008. You're not going to have to take a covered wagon from the Capitol to Mississippi Friday. What is preventing you from voting/debating, then taking off and getting there in time for the 9 p.m. (East Coast time) debate kickoff? There's still time for McCain to get in his pre-debate nap and Obama to shoot some hoops.
3. We know you're important players -- one is a future president -- but there are 533 other people under the Dome toting a vote that is just as important as yours. If your vote isn't a deal-breaker/-maker, go directly to the debate. You can explain what your vote would have been from there. Got some good ideas for the bailout package? Send an email to your Senate buds....ok, Sen. McCain, you can phone them with your ideas.
4. McCain said he would be "suspending" his campaign. What does that mean? Does it mean that you won't engage in any fundraising, either? Does it mean Sarah Palin is on the shelf, too?...oh, wait, she already is.
5. McCain said "(Thursday) morning, I will suspend my campaign and return to Washington after speaking at the Clinton Global Initiative." If this debate is so important, couldn't he just skip the Clinton gig and go straight to the Dome?
6. If McCain was this concerned, where was he all week? Same place Obama was -- campaigning every place other than Washington. Rep. Barney Frank, an Obama supporter and key bailout architect, said on MSNBC Wednesday that it would be "more distracting" for "McCain and his entourage" to inject themselves into the process now.
7. And here's one for debate moderator Jim Lehrer: Make everybody feel good and tell them you'll toss a couple of economic-related questions at the top of the debate.
Got any more questions? Ideas? C'mon. We've got to save the debate. We've already got pizzas ordered and people coming over to watch.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=14&entry_id=30698
