The Huffington Post called 15 McCain campaign headquarters in various battleground states and could not find a single one that said that it was suspending its operations.
What do the pundits think of McCain’s whacko debate cancellation stunt? We rounded up the key responses.
There’re freakouts and there are freakouts. And yesterday’s Manic Act Out moments from John McCain were in a class by themselves. First there he tried to cancel Friday night’s debate and then he tried to beg off David Letterman’s show by making up a story about having to hop on a plane to rush back to Washington. We wrap it all up for you today’s episode of TPMtv …
As Letterman said, “It really is starting to smell now.”
Full-size video at TPMtv.com.
So let’s see. In the interests of saving the country, John McCain has to cancel the debate. But he’s got time to do prime time interviews on each of the three broadcast networks tonight.
In a riveting interview with Katie Couric, Sarah Palin reveals that Alaska lies between Canada and Russia. Really:
Late Update: I had totally missed this reporting. We’ve all heard the McCain-Palin argument that Palin is qualified to be president because her state is near Russia. But it turns out there’s actually been a lot of contact and regional level and grassroots diplomacy between the local governments on both sides of the border. Only Palin has stood out on this issue for completely ignoring anything to do with Russia.
According to this report, Obama advisor Robert Gibbs says he believes that John McCain will show up for the debate tomorrow night in Mississippi. But drawing on my own experience, I think that the encouragement and support of people close to McCain could be critical in giving him the kind of safe emotional space that would make it possible for him to come.
Those of you who’ve read the site for a long time probably remember that I long struggled with a crippling fear of air travel, one which I’ve now largely, but by no means entirely, overcome. And I know for me, when facing that kind of fear, it really helped having people close to me giving me the strength to overcome my fears.
And I think it can be the same thing with McCain.
My question is, who does McCain need with him today to give him the courage to head down South and debate Obama? Any thoughts? Who can be McCain’s support team?
From Marc Ambinder, it seems like we know what McCain’s agenda was today: to scuttle the bailout negotiations.
Late Update: But later, Ambinder says it’s just the opposite. Go figure …
On CNN a little while ago, Jeffrey Toobin threw a monkey wrench into the media narrative that persists in crediting John McCain with having “suspended” his campaign:
Late Update: The Obama camp tells TPM Election Central that the McCain campaign is directing TV stations across the country to start airing its ads again beginning Saturday, which would mean McCain will be off the air all day Friday only. It also suggests that McCain isn’t waiting until the bailout plan is approved to resume campaigning.