McCain suspends campaign temporarily and asks for postponement of debate

[angus]

neither of them is President,

nor has either of them been acting like US Senators.  why start voting and attending hearings now?

Not sure whether it'll make McCain look like a pussy, or a panderer, a senile old goat, or a noble, mangnanimous individual.  I'm torn between pussy and panderer, but I didn't like him to begin with.  We'll just have to wait to see how it plays in peoria.  Or in TV land.  Maybe it'll just make the old man look like he can't think about economics and foreign policy at the same time.  Make him look senile and such.

Oh, well, at least all of the posters bitching about it being on a Friday should be relieved.

[angus]

oh, yeah.  I just saw on the Newshour with Jim Lehrer that Obama has rejected McCain's request to "put partisan politics aside" and forego the debate.

While I respect the concept of demolishing the two political parties, and respect Washington's best advice that we not form them to begin with, I don't think this is a good idea to set aside this debate.  If they're smart, they'll both agree to change the topic.  Change it to economics.  But keep the debate.  Of course, I want to see these two US Senators in the Senate chamber--possibly doing their paid jobs for the first time in months--attending hearings and maybe even voting against the bailout, and I hope they get off the campaign wagon and start doing the jobs for which they're paid.  But I don't think either of them should use the bailout as an excuse to bail out of a debate. 

By the way, I have already emailed Senators Harkin and Grassley regarding the expenditure of huge sums of public money and "investing" in banks.  I'd encourage all posters here to do the same.  Whether you agree with me or not about the expenditure, you should at least take the time to contact your elected officials and let them know how you feel.   They're still talking about "reaching an agreement quickly."  Unless you have been under a rock your whole life you know that "reaching a quick agreement" usually means committing to spending large chunks of money wastefully and inefficiently.  Let them do their jobs.  But let's also do ours.  Write your congressman and senator, today.