You won't do it, do it, you won't do it, do it, do it, you won't do it

I could be wrong, i haven't been following the media spin, but it seems to me that McCain is the clear winner in the what to do about the financial crises sweepstakes. Today he announced that he would postpone all campaigning, remove all his politic ads, and postpone the debate to insure that they could come to a bitpartisan agreement to try to solve the financial problems going on. The democrats are very sore about this. Because they have been beaten. Obama cannot follow suit or he will look like he is weak and incapable of coming up with the idea himself, having to follow McCain's lead. Nor can they claim McCain shouldn't be involved without making themselves look stupid (that's is what they are currently doing.)

Some tidbits from the senate.
1. Earlier this summer Reid critisized McCain for not being around for important votes. No doubt this vote far more important so we would hope that McCain would be there.
2. Reid has made it known, he will not pass this bill without republican support.
3. Senator Casey (D) had this to say "I think if you look at the Republican side, at the McCain campaign and the leadership, I'm not convinced they are working to get their side to the table"
4. And as of last count only 4 republicans were known to support the bill (of the 30 minimum that reid demanded.)

So when McCain comes in and offers to help hammer out a bill, you would think reid would be happy. Certainly if anyone can deliver republican votes it will be McCain, and certainly if there is an issue worth being in washington it is this. No instead Reid chose to critisize McCain, told him not to come to washington, and told him that they have everything under control, and they don't need or want his help. So first mccain isn't doing enough to get republicans to the table, and then when he agrees to come and help, they lambast him for it?

as a brief side note, Reid also claimed a week ago that the senate would go on vacation without addressing the issue, leaving it in the lap of the president. His administration had taken the lead and done everything so far, and yet reid critisized bush for not being around? Clearly bush isn't around because he doesn't want his unpopularity to sink the bill, but it is people he appointed who are doing the work and yet Reid finds it reasonable to critisize him too. If you don't like the plan fine, but don't ridicule someone for not being involved after thye have done everything when you claimed you were going on vacation.

Notes from the campaign:

The best comment of course came from Biden (who else) "When the stock market crashed, Franklin Roosevelt got on the television and didn't just talk about the princes of greed." He was trying to say that McCain was just talking instead of doing anything. The Hilarious response came from Reason's Jesse Walker "and if you owned an experimental tv set in 1929 you would have seen and you would have said to yourself who's that guy? what happened to president hoover?

The point, beyond the hilarity, is that again he was chiding McCain for not accomplishing anything, so McCain set off to accomplish something.

I'm believe there were similiar remarks from Obama, but i don't remember. What i do know is that Obama has refused to delay the debate and claimed that as president you need to be able to multi-task. First off, when Obama refused to postpone the debate and said he would show up friday, the only thing i could think of was george trying to break up with his girlfriend in seinfeld, and her refusing. this does not require Obama's agreement. If McCain doesn't show up, there is no debate. Obama can refuse to reschedule the debate if he wants, or he can debate himself, but he can't force McCain into a debate.

Secondly this has been described as a once in a century financial disaster, and likened to the great depression. So at a time like this we need multi-tasking? Who says that? After the bombs dropped on pearl harbor did someone come up to roosevelt to ask about financing for education? After the stock market crashed did someone come up to ask HOOVER about public transportation? A lot of people decried the response after hurricane Katrina, wherever people lay the blame, i think we can all agree we would have wanted our leaders focusing on that, and not multi-tasking. Is Obama really going to claim that hosting this debate on friday, is more important then getting financial legislation passed?

Democrats have decried this as a political gimmick. And i agree, it is a gimmick. McCain doesn't really need to be in washington, or suspend his campaign, or skip the debate. He could accomplish anything from abroad that he can from in washington. What the dems are really upset about is that it is such a good gimick. On top of which, they were asking for it. I'm sure if they could go back in time, and have a redo, they would have Obama do this instead of McCain. Obama needs it more, because McCain actually has a history of bi-partansinship that Obama doesn't. But the dems didn't think of it, and now all they can do is attack and make themselves look silly, at least in my eyes.