There is the old adage that says "when the going gets tough - the tough get going." It is obvious, no matter which side of the fence you're looking from, that the times are tough. We are living in a world of political turmoil, social unrest, and economic instability. If ever there were a time for a strong leader to step forward - this would be it.
We are less than 2 months away from what will likely be one of the most historical elections of our time. We will potentially have our first African American President, or we will have our first female Vice President (and our oldest President ever). With such little time before we cast our ballots, you would think that the candidates would be scrambling to win over those last voters who are straddling the fence. Now is the time to put your best foot forward - to really show us what you're made of, your character.
So, what does John McCain do? Well, for starters - he has decided to postpone his campaign. McCain stated that he wants "a suspension of the presidential campaign—no events, no ads, and no debate Friday—so that he and Barack Obama can head to Washington to forge a bipartisan solution." Obama, however, has asked that the debates and campaigns continue - apparently he can multi-task better than McCain. Despite the fact that McCain doesn't sit on any committees relevant to the current economic crises, he felt it necessary to "suspend" activities and head back to Washington. This can best be seen as "tucking your tail" and running home - McCain needed to do something. He is slipping in the polls both nationally and in the battleground states. He's playing on Obama's turf in his effort to sell himself both as a change agent and as a steward of the economy. When voters are asked which candidate represents change, Obama beats McCain by more than 30 percentage points. When they're asked which candidate they trust to handle the economy, he beats McCain almost as handily. McCain has also opted to suspend the upcoming Presidential debate - set for Friday.
Then, on top of this, last night McCain bailed out of a schedule interview on Late Night with David Letterman. McCain called the host to tell him he couldn't make it because he was flying back to Washington to suspend his campaign and save the economy. Moments later, David Letterman linked to CBS's live interview of McCain with Katie Couric. He had blown of David Letterman to take an interview with the more prestigious Couric - and he'd lied about it. Kudos to Letterman for not letting it slide. He called the candidate out on his lie.
So, where is Obama in all of this? Well, Obama has not abandoned his campaign. In fact, he's gone on record to state that he plans to debate on Friday. Obama is correct in stating that now, more than ever, people need to see their Presidential hopefuls engaged in a debate on the topics that are even more relevant. In the midst of a financial collapse - why not offer the people your views on how to fix the situation? Obama aides also argued that McCain was not only being transparently political, but reckless. Imagine what that recklessness would be like if McCain were in the Oval Office, they say. On Wednesday Joe Biden had already given a speech framing McCain as risky and dangerous as commander-in-chief in the hopes of planting that story line before the first debate.
We need a candidate who is committed to seeing things through - not a candidate who will "suspend" things when times get tough. A President must be able to - in the very least - multitask, and to handle the pressures of previous engagements and unforseen circumstances. We need a candidate who is not John McCain.
