Americans want one:
A majority of Americans say the debate should be held. Just 10% say the debate should be postponed. A sizable percentage of Americans, 36%, think the focus of the debate should be modified to focus more on the economy. 3 of 4 Americans say the presidential campaign should continue. Just 14% say the presidential campaign should be suspended. If Friday’s debate does not take place 46% of Americans say that would be bad for America.
Blumenthal puts the poll in perspective here.
A reader writes:
One of the rhetorical devices the GOP-prepped candidates (like Bush & McCain) like to use is talking about "blinking". They often say how a leader cannot blink in the face of a crisis, how they will not blink when confronting islamic terrorism, how we must not blink in the face of monumental challenges.
Well, now McCain and his entire campaign is blinking – blinking at the press, blinking at debates, blinking at the financial crisis. And it seems to me that on 9/11/01, President Bush did nothing but blink for seven minutes. After which he massively overreacted in one of the most memorable and devastating acts of cover-my-ass in American history, causing orders of magnitude more damage to America than Bin Laden could have dreamed of.
That should show everyone what these people are: bullshit artists who cower at the prospect of accountability and responsibility.
(Photo: James Watson/Getty.)
Aren’t we all? Diane Warren’s lyrics speak to me right now.
Another amazing descent into Palin absurdity.
The other shoe drops. CNN reports:
McCain surrogate Sen. Lindsey Graham tells CNN the McCain campaign is proposing to the Presidential Debate Commission and the Obama camp that if there’s no bailout deal by Friday, the first presidential debate should take the place of the VP debate, currently scheduled for next Thursday, October 2 in St. Louis.
In this scenario, the vice presidential debate between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin would be rescheduled for a date yet to be determined, and take place in Oxford, Mississippi, currently slated to be the site of the first presidential faceoff this Friday.
A "date yet to be determined." Let me guess: November 5th. I mean: why does she need to debate at all? She won’t give press conferences, so why should she debate?
A reader notes:
A few years ago, my house got broken into in the middle of my term in grad school. I was still expected to turn in my homework on time. McCain should debate.
If McCain were a rational candidate wanting to demonstrate leadership in a time of crisis, he would simply suggesting refocusing Friday’s debate on economic issues, and holding it in Washington, D.C., so that he and Senator Obama could be present on the hill for a vote if one were to be called. Alas, he’s yet again demonstrated a callow, vainglorious attitude in his campaign for the Presidency. He’s demonstrably unfit for the job.
Morally and temperamentally unfit.
Even K-Lo thinks "Obama sounds reasonable and less gimmicky than McCain" while talking about the debate debate. Even K-Lo.
Well, from the McCain campaign’s public record:
Senator McCain was meeting with economic advisers and talking to leaders in Congress throughout the day prior to calling Senator Obama.
And this from the Politico:
The McCain campaign’s new urgency about the financial crisis didn’t entirely clear his schedule this morning. My colleague Amie Parnes reports that he made it to his scheduled morning meeting with Lady Lynn de Rothschild, a Clinton backer who recently came out in support of him.
If the Politico is correct, then the McCain campaign just put out a bald-faced lie. This kind of demonstrable lie can now be shown beyond any doubt in Palin’s public statements at least twelve times.
The Republican is becoming a national and international joke. As he should be.
The Obama campaign and the McCain campaign have contradictory time-lines for events this morning. From the WSJ:
“At 8:30 this morning, Senator Obama called Senator McCain to ask him if he would join in issuing a joint statement outlining their shared principles and conditions for the Treasury proposal and urging Congress and the White House to act in a bipartisan manner to pass such a proposal. At 2:30 this afternoon, Senator McCain returned Senator Obama’s call and agreed to join him in issuing such a statement. The two campaigns are currently working together on the details.”
Shortly after, the McCain campaign released their version:
“Senator Obama phoned Senator McCain at 8:30 am this morning but did not reach him. The topic of Senator Obama’s call to Senator McCain was never discussed. Senator McCain was meeting with economic advisers and talking to leaders in Congress throughout the day prior to calling Senator Obama. At 2:30 pm, Senator McCain phoned Senator Obama and expressed deep concern that the plan on the table would not pass as it currently stands. He asked Senator Obama to join him in returning to Washington to lead a bipartisan effort to solve this problem.”
At this point, who would you believe?
The Dish 