Breaking: McCain suspends campaign

Posted By Joshua Keating Wednesday, September 24, 2008 - 4:03 PM Share

Announcing that he will return to Washington to work on the financial crisis, John McCain has temporarily suspended his presidential campaign and has called on the organizers of this Friday's foreign policy debate to postpone the event:

I am calling on the president to convene a meeting with the leadership from both houses of Congress, including Senator Obama and myself," McCain told reporters in New York. "It is time for both parties to come together to solve this problem."

Here's the full statement.

No one can fault the senator for getting back to work on the biggest issue facing the country right now, but after the beating he's taken in the polls this week, this is going to be widely interpreted as an attempt to delay the debate until he can regain some surer footing. We'll see if it works.

Update: "The debate is on," says the Obama camp.

EXPLORE:DECISION '08
 

JGARZIK

4:26 PM ET

September 24, 2008

A media stunt, or real leadership

My immediate reaction, given McCain's professed ignorance on economic matters, was that this was more a "look Presidential" media stunt.

Only history will tell if McCain was making a wise and classy move by suspending politics in the interest of the nation... or simply wanting to make it appear that way for the cameras, while simultaneously giving himself and Palin a "breather" prior to the upcoming debates.

Jeff @ Armchair FP

Bias disclosure: I think both Obama and McCain are unfit to lead.

 

OBAMADIDWTC

4:27 PM ET

September 24, 2008

All about the paper, paper?

Or is this a cynical move along the lines of suspending the gas tax? It's getting him an awful lot of headlines and perhaps making some (really bright people) think he can actually help the economy somehow.

 

SAM

5:00 PM ET

September 24, 2008

Maybe his campaign is in so

Maybe his campaign is in so much chaos that he was afraid it was collapsing any minute?!

 

CEOLAF

6:06 PM ET

September 24, 2008

There's a good reason

McCain does not want the foreign policy debate to get buried under Wall St bailout news.

What wil the Sunday morning talks shows focus on this weekend? What story will dominate the news next week? Short of the country getting involved in another war or another huge terrorist attack on US soil, it's going to be the bailout.

So, as he expects to dominate the foreign policy debate, he wants it delayed until it can get a lot of coverage.

 

TAMMYPOWELL

10:19 PM ET

September 24, 2008

Do you seriously think that

Do you seriously think that either side is able to "handle" the economy? What makes either choice better equipped? Seriously...what criteria are you basing this on?

Tammy

 

PNJ

9:36 AM ET

September 25, 2008

How absurd. McCain pretends

How absurd. McCain pretends to quit campaigning so he can rush into Washington like a superhero and fix the crisis. This isn't quitting your campaign, this is exactly what campaigning is about, making yourself look someone who can fix the country's problems.

It's the best piece of campaigning he's done so far.

Even better is that if Obama insists on the debate, McCain can continue to push the line that Obama is putting the campaign ahead of the country, forcing debates while McCain just wants to fix the problem.

 

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