Thursday, September 25, 2008

Discuss: McCain/Obama Debate Flap

Well, nothing polarizes like American politics, so here's one to whet the appetite while I try to catch up on my riding profiles...

Is John McCain's call for a postponement of this Friday's Presidential Debate with Barack Obama to deal with the financial bail-out package in the Senate another example of his "Country First" mantra, putting the good of the country ahead of his own partisan goals?

Or is it indicative of the fact that he's rightly terrified of what Obama will be able to do to him and his record in a face-to-face, televised debate?

Discuss...

3 comments:

Duncan said...

I think it is more the "Country First" mantra than fear of Obama in a debate. All the same, it still smacks of a campaign move to compensate with his boneheaded performance since the meltdown - and a desperate one at that.

Anonymous said...

I'd have to agree with Duncan. McCain - who I still favour by the way - has not distinguished himself on the economic file since the credit crisis reached its recent height. Obama did slightly better, but only just. But frankly, McCain needs to lead on this issue, since it is easier for the Democratic candidate to make hay on this.

All the same, he is certainly not afraid of debating Obama. Recall, he did want to run 10 mini-debates during the campaign, where he would travel with Obama. Obama refused.

Obama is a bright guy and a polished speaker. But off the script, he injects a lot of "ums", "ahs", and takes a heck of a lot of time to make the point. Although Obama's people like to make fun of McCain's age, McCain does have a ton of experience in debates.

Anonymous said...

McCain getting back into the debate is a purely political move, like everything else he does... it's not that he wants to inform Americans or demonstrate his know-how, he just thought thought not showing up to the debates would make him look bad