McCain Gambles In Effort To Regain The Offensive
John McCain, losing ground as the economic crisis deepens, sought today to beat Barack Obama to the punch by suspending his campaign, postponing Friday's presidential debate, and calling for an emergency meeting between the President, congressional leaders and both nominees to produce legislation addressing the threat of a Wall Street collapse and a dangerous recession.
McCain's abrupt announcement, in an email sent out at 2:56 PM Wednesday, appeared designed to pre-empt Obama, who, according to aides, had already initiated efforts to seek a bipartisan solution. At 3:09 PM, just 14 minutes after the McCain email, Bill Burton of the Obama campaign sent out the following statement:
"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."
Later in the day, Obama rejected McCain's proposal to postpone the first debate. "This is exactly the time the American people need to hear from the person who in approximately 40 days will be responsible for dealing with this mess," Obama said. "What I've told the leadership in Congress is that if I can be helpful, then I am prepared to be anywhere, anytime. What I think is important is that we don't suddenly infuse Capitol Hill with presidential politics."
The contest to stand out as the stronger and more competent figure reflects the political imperative to appear equipped to grapple with the crisis facing the country. McCain's sudden pivot to a more sophisticated, statesman-like position demonstrates the Republican's awareness that his evident lack of intellectual comprehension over the past week, as well as his attempts to project 'populist' anger, were diminishing his stature.
In his statement, McCain suggested that he had initiated the emergency process: "I have spoken to Senator Obama and informed him of my decision and have asked him to join me."
Colby political scientist Sandy Maisel observes that, "If Obama in fact reached out first, as he claims, and then McCain turned it into a political issue, I cannot imagine how the people will not react negatively to McCain. If, on the other hand, McCain were to refute Obama's claim of an 8:30 phone call this morning, then McCain could look like a leader and presidential. My instinct is that this was a desperate move by McCain's staff to gain some traction from a situation in which he has clearly been slipping--and desperate moves rarely work."
Along similar lines, Sam Popkin, a political scientist at the University of California at San Diego, noted that canceling a presidential debate, as McCain is trying to do, can be seen as a sign of weakness. Popkin cited Jimmy Carter's cancellation of his debate against Teddy Kennedy in 1980, during the Iranian hostage crisis, as an example of a candidate
