From the New York Times:
Senator John McCain had intended to ride back into Washington on Thursday as a leader who had put aside presidential politics to help broker a solution to the financial crisis. Instead he found himself in the midst of a remarkable partisan showdown, lacking a clear public message for how to bring it to an end.
At the bipartisan White House meeting that Mr. McCain had called for a day earlier, he sat silently for more than 40 minutes, more observer than leader, and then offered only a vague sense of where he stood, said people in the meeting.
In subsequent television interviews, Mr. McCain suggested that he saw the bipartisan plan that came apart at the White House meeting as the proper basis for an eventual agreement, but he did not tip his hand as to whether he would give any support to the alternative put on the table by angry House Republicans, with whom he had met before going to the White House.
He said he was hopeful that a deal could be struck quickly and that he could then show up for his scheduled debate on Friday night against his Democratic rival in the presidential race, Senator Barack Obama. But there was no evidence that he was playing a major role in the frantic efforts on Capitol Hill to put a deal back together again.
On Wednesday, DoubleTalk showboated by "suspending" his erratic campaign, which is utter bullshit, as his surrogates remain all over the media, attacking Barack Obama as if nothing has changed.
McCain's call to delay Friday's debate is nonsense, too, and I think at least part of that ploy's real aim is to somehow gum up the schedule so as to eliminate the vice-presidential debate.
I mean, you've seen tiny bits of a relatively unscripted Sarah Palin with Charlie Gibson and now Katie Couric (Sean Hannity's French kiss doesn't count.)
She does not understand the world in which she lives, and comes off as a programmed, incoherent, babbling timeshare saleswoman at an airport hotel.
This city-council level Alaskan creationist may have been saved from witchcraft by an anti-Semitic lunatic visiting from Kenya, but she can't be saved from herself.
As for McCain, he went so far as to lie to a TV comedian (!) when he called David Letterman to cancel Wednesday night's appearance. He told Letterman that he had to return to Washington "immediately" in an effort to save the "cratering" economy.
Later--on-air--Letterman watched a live feed of McCain being interviewed by Katie Couric when he was supposed to be on his way to rescuing his country--first.
Letterman seemed stunned--and pissed--at McCain's lies, and mocked him throughout Wednesday night's show.
On Thursday, Letterman mocked McCain again, after finding out that McCain didn't even leave for Washington until Thursday morning, not "immediately" as he said when he cancelled his appearance.
McCain, incidently, hasn't cast a vote in the Senate since April. Even some Republicans seemed non-plussed by his Knight in Shining Armor act.
Several members in the party said they hadn't talked with him in months.
Obama hasn't been around the Senate halls much lately, either, but he also isn't the candidate suspending campaigns and delaying debates, playing the false role of Savior.
I'll go with the guy who's exhibiting grace under pressure.
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