>>John McCain announced yesterday that he is suspending his campaign to help deal with the financial crisis. He said he would not participate in tomorrow night's scheduled Presidential debate if the Senate has not passed a bill in response to the administration's bailout proposal. Barack Obama said he wants the debate to proceed as scheduled.
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>>Thoughts?
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>It's all politics.
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>McCain has taken a notable hit in the polls in the last 2 weeks and has lost the post-Palin/Convention momentum due to the financial crisis. He needed another big moment to regain ground. Obama has provided it by stumbling through his response to McCain's decision and then reversing his decision about returning to Washington. In the end will it matter? Not likely. This race is down to the debates.
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>Frankly, I think the debate topic should be changed from foreign policy to finance and go forward.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/09/stephanopoulo-4.html

ABC News' George Stephanopoulos reports: If Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain doesn't vote for the Bush administration's $700 billion economic bailout plan, some Republican and Democratic congressional leaders tell ABC News the plan won't pass.

"If McCain doesn't come out for this, it's over," a Top House Republican tells ABC News.

A Democratic leadership source says that White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten has been told that
Democratic votes will not be there if McCain votes no -- that there is no deal if McCain doesn't go along.