Has McCain thrown in the towel on the race?

[rjdogma]

It sure looks like McCain is throwing in the towel.

He made a desperate pick of Palin to energize his campaign and it worked - for a while. The "bump" has now faded.

This week, McCain came across looking like an impetulent kid while Obama came of looking Presidential. McCain even lost George Will along the way. This move to "suspend the campaign and delay the debate" is a little ridiculous, considering that McCain hasn't cast a single vote this year.

Let's face it... there are a number of people who are going to vote for McCain NO MATTER WHAT. I think those are the people who are going to be "impressed" by this move. But if you're paying attention, this is just more gamesmanship.

 

[JoshByGosh]

Definitely a ploy, but didnt Obama decline an invite to several debates already? Its hard to imagine anyone scared to debate Obama as every other word in his speeches are "Uh"

 

[Torre82]

Definitely a ploy, but didnt Obama decline an invite to several debates already? Its hard to imagine anyone scared to debate Obama as every other word in his speeches are "Uh"

In gaming we call that 'loading time' between the good parts.

 

[No_Man]

Definitely a ploy, but didnt Obama decline an invite to several debates already? Its hard to imagine anyone scared to debate Obama as every other word in his speeches are "Uh"

Obama turned down McCain's suggestion to do up to 10 town-hall style debates, where random questions come from an audience of ordinary citizens, in favor of the traditional debate format of pre-announced questions from a professional moderator.

There are pros and cons to each... I would have liked to have seen a mixture of town-hall and moderated. Obama's speech writing skills definitely put him at an advantage in the moderated debates, but I think town-hall style would have shown which candidate is actually more knowledgeable about the topics and able to think on his feet.

 

[AFA]

In an ABC poll, 66% favored going on with the debate scheduled for tommorow night. ABC news just seemed to suggest there was some agreement on the terms of the deal. It's possible it will be concluded today, leaving tommorrow night open.

 

[Friday on my mind]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080925/ap_on_el_pr/mccain_letterman;_ylt=AtIdApG_TeFtIaE9ouo0TgFI2ocA

Letterman unloads on McCain for not showing up

NEW YORK - "Late Show" host David Letterman treated John McCain's decision to cancel an appearance on his talk show more like a stupid human trick than the act of a statesman.

The Republican presidential candidate said he was halting his campaign activities Wednesday, citing the need to deal with the nation's financial crisis, and called Letterman to drop out of the show's late-night lineup. On the air Wednesday night, Letterman assailed McCain's rationale and, with prickly humor, questioned whether the nominee — now trailing in some polls — was in trouble.

"This doesn't smell right," Letterman said. "This is not the way a tested hero behaves. Somebody's putting something in his Metamucil."

McCain spokeswoman Nicole Wallace said Thursday that the campaign "felt this wasn't a night for comedy."

"We deeply regret offending Mr. Letterman, but our candidate's priority at this moment is to focus on this crisis," Wallace said on NBC's "Today" show.

Letterman called McCain "a true American hero" but told his viewers: "This is not the John McCain I know, by God. It makes me believe something is going haywire with the campaign."

Instead of suspending a campaign, Letterman said, a presidential candidate should go to Washington to deal with a crisis and let his running mate shoulder the burdens of politicking.

"That's what you do. You don't quit. ... Or is that really a good thing to do?" Letterman said, a reference to McCain's running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. "What's the problem? Where is she? Why isn't she doing that?" he asked.

Letterman later asked: "Are we suspending it because there's an economic crisis or because the poll numbers are sliding?"

Making matters worse for McCain, his replacement was MSNBC's "Countdown" host Keith Olbermann, a constant critic of the Arizona senator.

McCain told the CBS show that he was immediately flying back to Washington, Letterman told his audience. Then Letterman showed a TV feed of McCain being made-up for an appearance on news anchor Katie Couric's "CBS Evening News."

"Doesn't seem to be racing to the airport, does he?" Letterman said. "This just gets uglier and uglier."

As McCain spoke to Couric, Letterman shouted at the feed: "Hey, John, I've got a question. Do you need a ride to the airport?"

Letterman later said: "We're told now that the senator has concluded his interview with Katie Couric and he's now on Rachael Ray's show making veal piccata. ... What are you going to do?"

 

[Torre82]

Letterman later said: "We're told now that the senator has concluded his interview with Katie Couric and he's now on Rachael Ray's show making veal piccata. ... What are you going to do?"

Serve it with a nice Riesling or a table red.

 

[AFA]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080925/ap_on_el_pr/mccain_letterman;_ylt=AtIdApG_TeFtIaE9ouo0TgFI2ocA

"Doesn't seem to be racing to the airport, does he?" Letterman said. "This just gets uglier and uglier."

As McCain spoke to Couric, Letterman shouted at the feed: "Hey, John, I've got a question. Do you need a ride to the airport?"

Letterman later said: "We're told now that the senator has concluded his interview with Katie Couric and he's now on Rachael Ray's show making veal piccata. ... What are you going to do?"

Serve it with a nice Riesling or a table red.

:rofl:

 

[Artimus]

Letterman brings up a good point. Why suspend campaigning at all when you've got a running mate?

 

[AFA]

Letterman brings up a good point. Why suspend campaigning at all when you've got a running mate?

We know why. A running mate in title only.

 

[Facetious]

John needs a nap

Obama doesn't want to loose his streak of gaining a full percentage point with each new day.

I have a headache !:o

 

[Friday on my mind]

John needs a nap and Obama doesn't want to loose his streak of gaining a full percentage point with each new day.

Funny and probably not that far from the truth.:thumbsup::rofl:

 

[AFA]

No one's mentioned, Freedom, Democracy, or the War on Terror yet today, or how the Joint Strike Fighter will save us from ourselves.

 

[ChefChiTown]

Did anyone watch the Colbert Report last night? He fucking ripped apart McCain like starving hyenas tearing at a fresh kill.

It was hilarious.

 

[Facetious]

Joint Strike Fighter will save us from ourselves.

The STOL F - 35 you mean ?

 

[AFA]

The STOL F - 35 you mean ?

Yes, I need one and have paid taxes long enough.

 

[Torre82]

The STOL F - 35 you mean ?

Yeah... 1 and a half ounces STOLI vodka, half ounce Frangelico(Amaretto liqueur) will give you about 35% alcohol.

Good call, guys.

 

[girk1]

Ehh. As much as I'd like to believe it's over, it's difficult to predict how American voters will respond to stupidity. Usually they take it quite well and feed right off it. I mean.. :oints:: Bush.

This move might relax the dems into a lull while the repubs are plotting something. Time will tell. I wouldnt be surprised to see one of those 'McCain visits the destruction of Ike" commercials on TV. Maybe a christmas dinner scene with Palin and McCain's family sitting around, stuffing their faces. Whatever it is, it's not difficult in the least to score conservative votes. Show some Normal Rockwell type shit.. sit back and call the other guy a liar, and it becomes truth after it's said enough times.

A nice, wholesome... lie. :almost laughs at it:

You are a realist Torre. This electorate voted for Bush, twice:eek: As a Progressive Southerner I share your pessimism. Deep South States like Tex.,Ala.,Miss.,S.C.,Ken.,Tenn., Ark., LA.,GA.,N.C., are more likely to by into that garbage. Democrats have been fustrated trying to figure out futilely how to engage these Southerners & not alienate very important strongholds like NY & California. It's frustratingly impossible.

Democrats will have trouble until they can at least pull the more diverse Florida into their fold & have it be as automatic as Cali/NY. Until then CONservatives will continue to rule in National elections with the Deep South as their bread & butter.

 

[titsrock]

Well it seems as if the "grand" "country first" self-sacrificial act by McCain yesterday was all for nothing. Congress has hammered out a deal and only a nest of selfish, embarrassed Republican congressmen can stall the deal now. So all of McCain's grandstanding today looks like weak, desperate political manuerving. Even the Wall Street Journal, owned by Rupey the Murdoch, ripped McCain's behavior yesterday as "how not to act presidential.":1orglaugh

Perhaps McCain should beg out of the little tea and crumpet fest with the President in order to prep for the debate he originally wanted to have called off?:dunno:

The main focus of the debate may be "Foreign Policy" but there's no way Obama will let McCain's Herbert Hoover-ish statements early last week and overall flipflop fish floundering go "unnoticed"....the debate will be turned quickly to the economy....100 million viewers care more about their jobs and their money than how we have been lied and feared and suckered into Iraq...at this point.

 

[girk1]

Maybe Joe Biden should GRANDSTAND like McCain & pubicly challenge Sara Palin to 'stand in' for Obama/McCain the Oxford debates tomorrow. Like LBJ,who was sworn in hours after JFK died, the VP has to be ready to step up immediadetly & make decisions. Certainly Palin can 'stand in' for McCain at a little debate:dunno: