“Presidents are going to have to deal with more than one thing at a time. It’s not necessary for us to think that we can only do one thing and suspend everything else.”
He can walk.
He can chew gum.
Sen. Obama puts them on the table, carefully.
“This is exactly the time when the American people need to hear from the person who in approximately 40 days will be responsible for dealing with this mess,” Obama told reporters at a news conference in Florida.
“In my mind, actually, it’s more important than ever that we present ourselves to the American people and try to describe where we want to take the country and where we wnt to take the economy as well as dealing with some of the issues of foreign policy that were initially the subject of the debate”
“The debate should take place as scheduled,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in an interview with NPR to be broadcast this afternoon. “We have to be able to do a couple of things at once. That’s what leadership requires.”
UPDATE: SurveyUSA did a snap poll of 1,000 on this, only 10% want to suspend the debate.
Obama should debate an empty chair if need be…they can put a “rEsErVeD fOr JoHn Mcain” sign on it if necessary.
It is without question the most amazing election I’ve ever seen. When has there ever been a more secretive and disorganized ticket. McCain is afraid or unable to debate. Palin is afraid or unable to be interviewed.
At this stage, we don’t even know what McCain is for or against. He has presented himself as a passionate critic of both sides of the debate. For all we know, McCain has become Evita Peron… He sure talks like a populist.
In the interests of putting country first, is there any way McCain would consider suspending his campaign permanently?
I’m just waiting for McCain to peel the latex mask off and show us that it’s really Ross Perot underneath.
The really depressing thing is, that’s a perfectly viable election strategy these days.
My thoughts exactly. Walk AND chew gum – that’s priceless.
Keep up the good fight.
I am Just Another Middle Aged White Woman for Obama.
John McCain making a responsible move that a snap poll doesn’t agree with him on. Such a move is mind-boggling to the liberal mindset.
The guy is running for President – PRESIDENT!
He has just admitted that he can’t chew guy and watch TV. The Boss has to able to handle more than one ball in the air at a time. McCain is CONCEDING that he’s not CAPABLE of THINKING about two simultaneous challenges at a time.
From his own mouth he disqualifies himself for consideration to be the Prez. UNBELIEVABLE!
Shorter Obama: “Earn yer effing paycheck. You can handle both.”
Solid body blow. I likes.
You know, I have to respect a campaign that is as willing to take as many gambles and throw as many Hail Mary passes as the McCain campaign has done. They know they’re in a bad position and they’re trying to make the best of it with some risky moves.
Yes, this “suspend the campaign” thing is a stunt. So was nominating Palin. So was the “celebrity” ad. So is a lot of the anti-Obama material they’re coming up with. It’s better than sitting down and going down with the ship without trying to save the situation.
The only thing that would be disastrous is if McCain actually politically interfered by publicly creating and supporting a bailout proposal that did more harm than good as a campaign stunt.
“I’m just waiting for McCain to peel the latex mask off and show us that it’s really Ross Perot underneath.”
Not Perot. It’s Senator/Chancellor/Emperor Palpatine.
John McCain only feels responsible to the survival of his campaign at this point. In that sense, yes, he made a move that was responsible to his campaign, to try dodging the debate under the pretext of needing to be around to fix an economy.
(an economy that he claimed had strong fundamentals just a couple weeks ago)
Self-preservation is not so puzzling, really
Let me see – if the “old wrinkly white dude” and the “world is 7,000 years old – God wants my pipline proposal flat-earther” duo walk away from their campaign – the REAL irony is: They might actually do better than to have McCain keep putting his foot in his mouth and MsMooselipstick might just do better staying under whatever rock it is she’s crawled under.
As usual Tyro, right on the money. Completely objectively (i.e. leaving aside my preference for a particular candidate), I have a soft spot in my heart for hiking the ball to the running back, splitting the quarterback out wide and lateraling to your wide receiver and letting him throw it to an eligible tackle. You’re probably going to lose twenty yards, but who knows? You gotta have respect for chutzpah.
You know, I have to respect a campaign that is as willing to take as many gambles and throw as many Hail Mary passes as the McCain campaign has done.
Really? Maybe as a campaign tactic that has a tiny bit of merit, but as a governing philosophy it is ass. I don’t know what the stats are but if you hurl a hail mary, that probably means you’re losing.
But OW, we’re not talking governance. As it pertains to elections, you gotta admit it’s fun to watch.
Waddaya wanna bet that by tomorrow morning, some asshole in the MSM will be calling this transparently desperate stunt a “courageous move”? I predict GMA.
You wacky righties, you’ll convince yourselves of absolutely anything in the name of party loyalty.
Or maybe Mara Liasson. Could she have a bigger crush on McPOW, or what?
Weren’t you liberals the same folks who said Gore and Kerry would backslap GWB in the presidential debates? Yet, according to almost every non-partisan poll, Bush Jr. took 2 outta 3 in ‘00 and ‘04. Oh yeah, he won both elections too. You guys never learn.
I don’t think anyone was predicting either of those charisma factories would backslap him, but I know Kerry did, simply by dint of not being clearly an idiot. One commentator at the time accurately described his performance thus: “He blinks, he mumbles, he lets a sentence trail off, starts a new one, then reverts back to whatever he was saying in the first place. Each time he recalls a statistic (either from memory or the voice in his head), he flashes us a dumb little smile.”
Also, he only won one of those elections. And that might just have been hookey as well.
“We have to be able to do a couple of things at once. That’s what leadership requires.”
How dare you question John McCain’s military service!!!! He was a POW! The Viet Cong broke his ability to do two things at once!!!!*
*That was a “Bush Doctrine” right-wingnut attack.
Señor “The Economy Is Fundamentally Sound” McCain Challenges Barry Obama To Postpone First Debate So He Could Go Help Out With The Financial Bailout Package…
Obama Says “Thanks but no thanks – get your Panamanian butt down here and debate me”
Well, that’s not EXACTLY the way it went down but I do highly suspect Señor J. Sidney McCain’s attempt to appear to take “the moral high…
I think the whole gambit may have been to delay Palin’s debate, to avoid the last nail in the coffin, hoping for a catastrophic mistake by Obama in the interim. This whole “crisis” [sic] emphasizes the meme of Palin being out of her depth, being shielded from, you know, leadership. Because she’s in substance a child, or perceived as one by the operatives and probably McCain himself. Ditto the Alaska roots; it’s nothing like the stakes that we face on this crisis if it is one.
Had McCain picked Romney, we would be in a lot worse shape right now. McCain doesn’t need fundies in Mississippi; he needs chamber of commerce types and mildly conservative church-goers in Virginia and Ohio, and those groups aren’t going to see McCain as presidential from this garbage. Romney could make the case credibly about money, as he is more “from money” than he is a religious conservative.
“Also, he only won one of those elections. And that might just have been hookey as well.”
Yeah I know, Karl Rove conspired with Sandra Day O’Connor to “steal” the election, blah, blah, blah…..but getting back to today this idea that McCain is afraid to debate Obama is ridiculous when you factor in that BO has no track record on how to deal with the economy, he turned down numerous invites from McCain to do townhall debates and teleprompters won’t be allowed.
Barack needs to call John McCain out.
If McCain doesn’t want to debate on Friday send Sarah Palin. She ain’t doing a thing except taking photo-ups at the UN.
Let Palin and Biden debate on Friday and again as scheduled.
Ain’t old girl ready for primetime yet.
“Yeah, our democracy was essentially hijacked, laughed at and pissed on, but stop living in the past, man…”
Obama is right. This is no time for stopping a debate when one of the most important issues that has ever come up in this country is happening right before our eyes. But oh yeah, the fundamentals of the economy are strong, I forgot.
[...] reports claimed that this move put Obama in a bind, the correct response was blatantly obvious: a President has to be able to walk and chew bubble gum at the same time, why can’t McCain? Further, as Obama himself put it: “This is exactly the time when the American people need [...]
“You know, I have to respect a campaign that is as willing to take as many gambles and throw as many Hail Mary passes as the McCain campaign has done. They know they’re in a bad position and they’re trying to make the best of it with some risky moves.”
Are you fucking nuts?
Politicians should not throw Hail Mary passes, because it shows they don’t have the temperament to be a leader.
A Hail Mary pass is okay in football because the worst result there is losing a game. The worst result in politics is World War III.
It’s a play. And not a bad one, really.
I hope the poll is right. I hope the electorate see through it.
and of course mccain is now innoculated from charges of political opportunism on this because he made those accusations first! can anybody in the press really say with a straight face that they heard this announcement from mccain and didn’t start laughing hysterically? what’s he gonna do? go to washington and deregulate some more? yeesh.
A Hail Mary pass is okay in football because the worst result there is losing a game. The worst result in politics is World War III.
I didn’t say I respected a president who was willing to throw a few Hail Mary passes, I said I respected a campaign that was willing to do so. Campaigns, like football games, are zero-sum: there’s a winner and a loser, and a loss from a failed rush is the same as a loss due to running out the clock is the same as a loss due to a missed Hail Mary.
When a campaign is behind, there’s really no point in pretending that work-a-day, conventional campaigning is going to save you. I like seeing McCain pull some unexpected twists out of the bag in an attempt to save his campaign.
Amazing. Obama “didn’t have time” to engage in town hall style debates with McCain because it might get in the way of $30,000 a plate fundraisers, but NOW he can walk and chew gum at the same time. This might surprise some people, but Senator Obama is NOT the President and this is not Halloween where he gets to put on his President suit and believe that having a debate is part of Presidential responsibilities. He’s still a Senator from Illinois and he still has a responsibility to his constituents. I realize that might be difficult since he’s been campaigning longer as a Senator than working as a Senator. One again, Barack Obama has chosen to vote “present.”
“Well golly gee Nancy and Harry! I’ll come down there if you think it might help!”
That’s leadership?
[...] is getting all tingly like Chris Matthews as Barack Obama has declared how tough he is by saying that he’s going to still debate on [...]
Neither Obama or McCain are on the relevant committees, right? So what would they have to do in Washington besides vote Yay or Nay?
Amazing. Obama “didn’t have time” to engage in town hall style debates with McCain. . .
Now this is a Flail Watch we can believe in, my friends.
“Oh yeah, he won both elections too. You guys never learn.”
Courtesy of the Supreme Court in ‘00 and “spoiled” votes in Ohio and New Mexico in ‘04. The one thing wingtardia hates is a fair fight. And, oh yeah you might want to read the financial pages this week to see “who never learns”.
Go piss up a rope, mouthbreather.
Is McCain running for PTA Chairlady or freakin’ President of the United States?
Gawd. The Republican party can’t make itself look any more pathetic, can it?
That sound I hear? Pro-McCain types getting disgusted with him and deciding to either stay home or vote for Barr come November.
And tyro, your argument doesn’t make any sense. If manly-man Republicans are so awesome-sauce at debating fairy-boy Democrats, why is McCain _hiding_ from Obama? And why is he hiding Palin from _everybody_ in the press corps other than Shawn Hannity?
Too much fun these days. The Republican party will never recover from 2006-2008.
He’s still a Senator from Illinois and he still has a responsibility to his constituents….One again, Barack Obama has chosen to vote “present.”
Hey Jay, would you want to venture a guess as to which senator missed the most votes of this congress (64%), including the GI Bill?
I’ll even give you a hint, he is widely respected for his military service, less well respected for his adherence to his marriage vows, and apparently feels no responsibility to his constituents.
Come on, guess.
“Obama “didn’t have time” to engage in town hall style debates with McCain because it might get in the way of $30,000 a plate fundraisers …”
Right. And now McCain is trying to avoid the debates and while suggesting that Obama should, join him, and suspend his fundraising as a “bipartisan” gesture.
In desperate times, desperate men try desperate things …
And how’s Obama responding? Calm, cool and collected as he has been from the beginning.
Jay, try taking a break for a while. At the rate you’re degenerating into a ridiculous parody of yourself you won’t even be coherent by mid-October.
I’m going to surprise some folks here and applaud Obama for staying on the campaign trail.
You gotta go with your strengths.
He’s a great campaigner, so let him keep on campaigning.
As others have noted, he’d most likely ignore most of the grunt work in being a Senator, try to grab a share of the credit when it’s all done, and then vote “present” anyway, and that would just be a waste of everyone’s time. So why bother with the farce?
As far as his obligation to the people of Illinois, who might think they are entitled to two Senators’ work, just like every other state: you knew when you elected him four years ago that he was just going to use the office as a stepping stone for the presidency, and wasn’t going to take the job seriously. So don’t whine now that he isn’t doing the job he’s being paid for.
J.
And John McCain isn’t trying to use his Senate service as a “stepping-stone” for the presidency? And it’s “noble” for Obama to “keep campaigning,” as if that legitimizes the incredibly batshit insane stunt McCain is trying to pull by “pausing” his campaign mere weeks before a national election because he’s afraid to debate in what he knows will be a bloodbath for him, not to mention the upcoming whipping of Palin by Biden? (IMO, he’s basically trying to make sure that never happens by having it cancelled. Palin is just too nutsy for America and he knows it.)
Dude, among your many, many failings as a bad writer, a bad partisan hack, and a terrible blogger, I think you’ll mostly be remembered for your staggering capacity to project shit onto people simply because they’re Dems that you wouldn’t in a million years even notice in a Republican. John McCain is a US Senator, but one with a lot more years and a lot more baggage than Obama! And yet, this is only a problem for Obama? WTF?
Seriously, learn to pick your fights. Every single time you try and attack Obama, I end up getting a new idea (sometimes multiple ones) as to why McCain is just so damn unfit to be POTUS.
Thank you, once again, for playing. And failing.
(And if Obama was such a terrible junior Senator from Illinois, why is he going to win that state so handily? I guess once again you must know better than they do living in, what, I forget where your mom’s house is again, but you get the picture.)
I’m not going to say it. I’m not going to say it. I’m not going to say it.
“…he’d most likely ignore most of the grunt work in being a Senator, try to grab a share of the credit when it’s all done, and then vote “present” anyway, and that would just be a waste of everyone’s time. So why bother with the farce?”
Jay Tea, you do understand that this is exactly what McCain is doing, right? McCain wants everyone to think he’s racing to the rescue to save this important, imperiled legislation but so far all he’s done is make his bold announcement then give a speech this morning in Manhattan. He isn’t even in DC yet. Meanwhile:
Oh and what does McCain have to say about this?
McCain/Palin. Out of Touch? or Just Lying?
And how’s Obama responding? Calm, cool and collected as he has been from the beginning.
You call those remarks where once again he use the ‘word’ “Uhh” more than any other word and stuttered through a half-assed attempt to beat his chest about still going on with the debate, calm cool and collected? The man didn’t know what to do or how to react. It was a pathetic display and just another piece of evidence that Obama doesn’t have the goods to be the leader of the free world.
Compare that to McCain here with Couric:
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4476356n
THAT’S calm cool and collected.
“THAT’S calm cool and collected.”
Right. Suddenly lurching from one position to the next, pulling hugely dramatic stunts, exploiting this “unprecedented crisis” for political purposes, trying to take credit for something you won’t have any part in actually doing, fear mongering … yup, all familiar, comfortable ground for McCain …
Shorter Jay: B… b… but Obama needs a teleprompter!
Dude, reason me this — why is McCain too much of a pussy to appear at a _scheduled_ presidential debate? And why is he literally hiding Palin from semi-free-form news briefings that would involve some unscripted questions?
Like I said, if I respected you enough to think you had any moral backbone, you’d have to be voting Barr at this point. I know you’re going to vote McCain, but everything from here on out is you going through the painful motions of trying to pretend either logic or moral instinct have anything to do with voting for a serial liar, quitter, coward, and flip-flopper.
Have fun losing. America is looking forward to it, since we need to get out of this Republican-made disaster of a nation, a war, and an economy.
McCain could piss himself on camera and people like Jay would claim it was strong leadership. Their side can do no wrong, and if you need to employ a little cognitive dissonance to live with that, well, that’s clearly the American Way.
As those who can read have noted, she will most likely ignore most of the grunt work in being a governor, try to grab a share of the credit when it’s all done after its explained to her with hand puppets and a bottle of Bailey’s, and then vote for needless earmark spending, and that would just be a waste of everyone’s time. So why bother with the farce?
As far as her obligation to the people of Alaska, who might think they are entitled to 4 years of governing, just like every other state: you knew when you elected her two years ago that she was just going to use the office as a conduit for putting her OMG BFF’s from high school on the taxpayer dole, and never took the job seriously. So don’t whine now that she never fit for the the job she’s was just picked for.
Fixed.