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Ploy

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As outsiders, it is impossible to know the entire series of events that preceded John McCain's call to suspend his campaign and push Congress on the finance bailout. When both sides give a different story and there is not hard evidence to prove either one, the only conclusion we can reach is one predetermined by our political leanings.

While we cannot know for certain what events went on behind the velvet curtain, we do know what occurred on the stage. We know that John McCain stated that he was putting his country first, going to Washington immediately and would not attend the debates unless an agreement had been reached on the economic bailout. We know that McCain cancelled his scheduled appearance on the David Letterman Show telling Dave that he would be leaving immediately for Washington. We also know that he did not leave New York until the afternoon of the following day.

I am not a fan of David Letterman, and I really don't find it entertaining to watch him going off on a tangent of scathing remarks, but I do believe that Letterman had every right to be seriously offended by McCain's actions. If McCain had told Letterman that he did not believe that levity was appropriate at this time, Dave would have fumed, but probably not publicly. Was McCain sincere in his statement or was he hoping for a great sound bite? If he were sincere wouldn't he have jumped on a plane then rather than waiting another 24 hours?

We also know that McCain's initial statement was that he would not attend the debate unless there was an agreement on the economic package. We also know that he did attend the debate well before such an agreement had been reached. Had he been sincere in his original statement he would not have been there, though perhaps he was just proceding implusively without much thought of the affects his behavior could have.

After McCain announced he was going to Washington, President Bush called a meeting on the bailout package inviting the leaders of both parties and McCain and Obama. Whether there had been an agreement before the meeting or not, it is clear that McCain's presence did nothing to soothe the situation, nor was his self-lauded ability to reach across the aisle shown.

I certainly hope it was a ploy, because if this demonstration of impulsive action and believing that like Superman he can swoop in and save the day is what we could expect from a McCain presidency, the glimpse it provides of the future is not a pretty one.

Learn more about this author, Frances Simon.
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