In an interesting twist on Wednesday afternoon, McCain called for a delay in the first presidential debate because he needed to go see about the economy.

Really? Are the pundits biting? From both sides of the aisle... Not quite.

McCain suspends his campaign because of financial crisis? Oh please. Given today's poll numbers--even Fox has him dropping--it seems another Hail Mary (like the feckless selection of Palin) to try make McCain seem a statesman, which is difficult given the puerile tenor of his campaign's message operation. --Joe Klein

Sen. John McCain suddenly announced it was necessary to stop campagining for a time so that the nation could instead focus on the economic crisis for which he has tried to blame sen. obama. And oh by the way that means we need to postpone Friday's presidential debate...Til when? December? --Keith Olbermann

Is this a self-sacrificing manifestation of his country first slogan? A self-aggrandizing political move to try to take the reins of leadership on the economy from Barack Obama? Both? Neither? --Rachel Maddow

Some of this is a lot of nonsense, but if I'm just getting home from work and I only pay casual attention to these debates, Obama sounds reasonable and less gimmicky than McCain...Obama may win this campaign moment yet. If McCain protests, he looks petty. --Kathryn Jean Lopez

He hasn't cast a vote in congress since April. I mean he's not gonna be working on the legislation. The debate is scheduled between the two men who want the job of running the country. I don't understand the logic of saying let's cancel the debate. I wanna hear what these guys have to say about what they're gonna do about the problem that the country has.I think they should have the debate, you know,you don't have to talk about foreign policy. Talk about this. But I don't understand not having the debate. The public wants to know which one of these men is capable of leading the country. They'll learn more about that by listening them have a debate about the issues. --Jack Cafferty

It occurs to me that McCain's gambit is likely to delay the bailout negotiations, not speed them up. Why? Because now, if the administration and Congressional Republicans can't make a deal without undercutting McCain's claim that the negotiations are failing and a campaign suspension is needed to rescure them. All the reporting I've seen suggests a deal was in the works. Now it's going to be in limbo, unless Republicans are willing to kneecap their own candidate. --Jonathan Chait

John McCain is in trouble every time conditions prevail. And that's when he pulls a razzle-dazzle. McCain calls this move when he sees the voter going back to the default button.

"Fire Chris Cox!" "Bring in Gov. Palin!" "Call off the first night of the Republican convention!" Anything that changes the situation away from that default button where people naturally say, "When one administration fails, when one party fails, you try the other one."

We saw it again when he called Wednesday night calling for a delay of the debates, "I'm not going to the debates." --Chris Matthews

A non-emergency meeting: The McCain campaign's new urgency about the financial crisis didn't entirely clear his schedule this morning. My colleague Amie Parnes reports that he made it to his scheduled morning meeting with Lady Lynn de Rothschild, a Clinton backer who recently came out in support of him. All while Obama was waiting by the phone for a returned call. --Ben Smith

If you're wondering why I was writing about baseball yesterday instead of leaping into the debate over whether John McCain's decision to suspend his campaign and call for the delay of tomorrow night's debate was a bold act of leadership, a brilliant piece of political theater, or a pointless, vote-losing stunt, it's because the baseball season suddenly seems a lot more interesting than Presidential politics. --Ross Douthat

As for the question of Friday night's debate, which some in the media seem to think more important than saving the financial system--if the negotiations are still going on in D.C., McCain should offer to send Palin to debate Obama! Or he can take a break from the meetings, fly down at the last minute himself, and turn a boring foreign policy debate, in which he and Obama would repeat well-rehearsed arguments, into a discussion about leadership and decisiveness. --William Kristol

Slipping in the polls? Concerned that Americans may be paying more attention to the declining economy--and even supporting economic regulation again--than to your own stellar leadership abilities? What's a Republican presidential nominee to do? If you're named John McCain, the answer became apparent yesterday afternoon--make the solution to the economic crisis all about you. --Harold Meyerson

The American people, not his fellow senators, need to hear from John McCain about what thinks about this financial crisis and about our national security. And he should share his views in a face-to-face exchange with his Democratic opponent. The presidential debate scheduled for Friday night in Mississippi gives McCain that opportunity. That's where he belongs. --Colbert King

I think Americans will see it for what it is, a political stunt. It makes McCain look cowardly, like he's not ready to mix it up with Obama, and like he's hiding from the perilous economic developments of the last few weeks. --Joan Walsh

The Republican presidential nominee is hoping that his abrupt decision ... will be seen as the kind of country-first, bipartisan leadership he believes Americans want. What he risks, if things don't go as he hopes, is a judgment by voters that his move was a reckless act by an impetuous and struggling politician that hardened partisan lines in Washington at just the wrong moment and complicated efforts to deal with the biggest financial crisis in more than half a century. --Dan Balz

WTF? You can't just stop the presidential campaign--what does that even mean? Meanwhile, I think walking and chewing gum at the same time is part of the president's job. --Matthew Yglesias