A new gob-smacker from Ben Smith:
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. All while Obama was waiting by the phone for a returned call.
McCain: politics first; country always, always last.
A reader writes;
Thanks for continuing to press for Governor Palin to provide information as to her views on, well, anything. I cannot believe that Senator McCain thinks that he is putting the country first when Hamid Karzai is more entitled to Sarah Palin’s views on, well, whatever it was they talked about yesterday than I am — particularly if he wants my vote.
This is beyond bizarre, and demonstrates a contempt for the voter that absolutely makes me furious.
Get angrier.
"It’s the longest Hail Mary pass in the history of either football or Marys."
Actually that was Palin. But this is pretty wild. I’ve never seen a presidential candidate this reckless, impulsive and ill-informed.
K-Lo at NRO (yes, they’re still blogging over there):
Since Obama Seems to Want to Go On with the Debate. Many readers relay that they’d like McCain to just offer Palin step in for him.
I kid you not.
He’ll be there for the debate. McCain, er, blinks. It’s the difference between a leader and an hysteric. I wonder if McCain’s campaign suspension will ever actually end. Can Romney be drafted at this late stage?
He’s suspending his campaign in an economic crisis because that’s what leaders do in a crisis, right? They check out. But it turns out that McCain has checked out of the Senate too:
Of all Senators, John McCain has been the most absent. There have been 643 votes taken in the current Senate session: McCain has missed 412 of them. McCain has not voted in the Senate since April 8th. Since March, he has missed 109 of the last 110 votes.
He missed votes on the GI Bill, energy policy, and in 2007 he missed "all 15 critical environmental votes in the Senate" — giving him a 2007 rating of 0% from the League of Conservation Voters."
Even he can’t keep up the charade:
A Toronto businessman asked him if he thought Sarah Palin would make a good President. "I don’t know," said Rove.
I do.
How could this president do anything but unnerve the markets and the population by appearing on television? This is not someone who can handle a crisis of any sort, any more than McCain can. Best to stay silent and in the background while adults try to cope with the mess.
A reader writes:
Long time reader. Years now, back before Time and Atlantic. First time commenter.
I’ve followed your Sarah Palin discussion with interest here recently, including your Real Time appearance. You’re right. She’s an absolute joke, but a dangerous joke at that. Everything with her and even now McCain is secrecy and deception. It’s really tragic because I once believed John McCain could nearly do no wrong. Back in 2000, I remember how badly I wanted McCain to defeat Bush in the Primary. No more.
McCain, largely because of the Palin pick and the aftermath, has lost my respect. He hasn’t had my support since Obama announced, but I’m sorry to have to say that I can no longer respect him. I never thought I’d be able to say that about him of all politicians. I’m actually sad about that. As a mid-20s conservative independent, I feel I must support Obama because I want a return to adult, rational governance.
I have a business degree and own my own small business. The Republican Party needs people like me for its future survival, yet we are the exact people pushed away by these petty games. I’m not a Christianist, so I’m not welcome in their Tent anymore. Bottom line.
As for the attacks against you from some on the Right, I think it’s obvious. The Emperor (or Empress in Palin’s case) has no clothes, and most of your critics are either blinded by sheer partisanship or know you’re right but do not have the intellectual honesty to admit it. Either way, they want to attack you to shut you up. Kudos to you for standing strong and not giving into them.
Don’t let the bastards get you down. They’re on their last legs. I truly believe that.
Me too. All of them. And I’m fine. I’m just doing my job and want to know the truth. My problem is that I got too close to it.
At a Quaker college, no less. So depressing.
The Dish 