Presidential Debates – A Bail Out for McCain?
September 26, 2008 | 2008 Presidential Election Debates
Senator John McCain has stated, that in response to the economic crisis that faces our nation, he will not be attending the first presidential debate scheduled for Friday, September 26, 2008 at the University of Mississippi. In a press conference on Wednesday, September 24, 2008, McCain said, “I am directing my campaign to work with the Obama campaign and the commission on presidential debates to delay Friday night’s debates until we have taken action to address this crisis.”
Not long after, Senator Barack Obama responded at a news conference in Clearwater, Florida, that he fully intends to show up for the debate and declared “It’s going to be part of the president’s job to deal with more than one thing at once.”
The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) followed with a press release of their own, stating that they are “moving forward” with the initial plans that were set in motion over a year and half ago. Unlike McCain, they “believe the public will be well served by having all of the debates go forward as scheduled.”
Thursday, in a telephone interview with Salon.com, Frank Fahrenkopf, the co-chairman of the CPD, disputed the idea that the debate could go on if McCain bails out on it. “The law requires that there must be two candidates for a debate.”
And on Thursday evening, after the meeting between President Bush, Obama, McCain, and the Congressional leaders fell apart, Jon Carson, the National Field Director for the Obama campaign, wrote an email to Obama’s supporters stating that, “Barack is moving ahead with plans for Friday’s debate. The election is less than 40 days away, and the American people deserve to hear directly from the candidates about how they intend to lead our country.”
Does anyone know what’s going on here? Where’s the “straight talk” when we need it most?
Let’s hear from you:
Is McCain putting the “country first” with his decision to bow out of the debate or is he hiding behind the flag? Is Obama correct that the debate should go on as planned? If McCain fails to show up, will it affect how you feel about him as a candidate, and if so, in what way?
Topic of the Debate: Foreign Policy & National Security
Length: 90 mins.
Moderator: Jim Lehrer
Time: 9:00 p.m. EDT
