WASHINGTON — John McCain shook up the presidential campaign Wednesday, announcing that he’ll suspend campaigning today to work on the Wall Street bailout legislation and urging that the first presidential debate with rival Barack Obama be delayed.
Obama rejected that proposal and said he plans to attend the Friday night debate at the University of Mississippi in Oxford. Debate sponsors also said it would go on as planned even if McCain’s attendance was in doubt.
But McCain’s surprise move, coming two days before the first of three long-scheduled presidential debates, offered him a high-risk chance to reshuffle the political deck heading into the final five weeks of the campaign.
If it works, he could cast himself as a decisive “presidential” leader above partisan politics, devoted to finding a solution to the crisis, eroding if not reversing the advantage that Obama has on the issue of the economy, now the top concern by far on voters’ minds.
Yet if McCain’s move fails, it could be seen as a desperate gimmick, raise questions about whether he’s prone to rash decisions and reinforce Obama’s image as the more cool-headed, deliberate leader.
“There is a risk there,” said Steven Schier, a political scientist at Carleton College in Minnesota. “There is the potential that he’ll seem a little hasty in his actions, that people will think this guy just flies off the handle, that he can’t multitask.”
“It shows his concern for the economy, and it shows his ability as a leader,” countered Bill Dal Col, a Republican strategist and former manager of Steve Forbes’ presidential campaigns who called the gambit “brilliant.”
McCain announced his decision in a statement from New York: “America this week faces an historic crisis in our financial system. We must pass legislation to address this crisis. Tomorrow morning, I will suspend my campaign and return to Washington.”
An aide said that McCain also would suspend television advertising and fundraising.
“I am directing my campaign to work with the Obama campaign and the Commission on Presidential Debates to delay Friday night’s debate until we have taken action to address this crisis,” McCain’s statement added. “It’s time for both parties to come together to solve this problem.”
Obama rebuffs delay
McCain said that he didn’t believe the bailout would pass in the form that was proposed. He urged President Bush to convene a meeting with congressional leaders from both parties and invited Obama to join him there to help forge a bipartisan bailout solution.
Obama rejected the proposal to delay the debates, saying the Wall Street crisis underscored the need for the candidates to explain what they would do as president.
“This is exactly the time when the American people need to hear from the person who, in approximately 40 days, will be responsible for dealing with this mess,” he told reporters in Clearwater, Fla., where he was preparing for the debate. It’s scheduled to focus on foreign policy and national security.
Obama also took a veiled swipe at McCain for the implied suggestion that the candidates can handle only one thing at a time.
“Presidents are going to have to deal with more than one thing at a time. It’s not necessary for us to think that we can only do one thing and suspend everything else.”
He also noted that the candidates could easily fly back to Washington from Mississippi if needed Friday, observing that each has his own campaign plane.
“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, though, is that we don’t suddenly infuse Capitol Hill with presidential politics at a time when we’re in the middle of some very delicate and difficult negotiations,” Obama said.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., issued a statement thanking McCain for his concern but inviting him and Obama not to inject themselves into the bailout process.
“It would not be helpful at this time to have them come back during these negotiations and risk injecting presidential politics into this process or distract important talks about the future of our nation’s economy. If that changes, we will call upon them,” Reid said.
Friday debate still on
Meanwhile, the host of Friday night’s debate said it would go on as scheduled on Friday at 7 p.m. MDT.
“The University of Mississippi is going forward with the preparation for the debate. We are ready to host the debate, and we expect the debate to occur as planned,” the school said in a statement.
McCain adviser Lindsey Graham said the candidate would not attend the debate without a deal in place on the bailout. An Obama spokesman said the Illinois senator would be there.
The bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates also said it was moving forward with its plans. “We believe the public will be well-served by having all of the debates go forward as scheduled,” the commission said in a statement.
