John McCain’s Bailout Fiasco

McAmnesty

 John McCain announced last week that he was suspending his campaign to fly to Washington and save the day and the economy. Amid falling poll numbers he took a political gamble designed to hopefully provide him with a bump in the polls. I wrote at the time that I couldn’t decide if this was a good gamble or not. I tried to weigh the possible good and bad of this decision and couldn’t balance the scales, so I took the wait and see attitude. Well now the verdict is in.

 So what has happened since that moment that we all remember so well? We remember that John McCain also wanted to delay the debate with Obama. He challenged Obama to suspend his campaign and to agree to postpone the debate. Barack Obama called his bluff, not only did he not suspend his campaign he promised that he would still go to the debate whether John McCain was there or not.

 John McCain couldn’t risk the lights and cameras being turned on for the debate and the audience seeing Barack Obama standing there asking “where is John McCain?” The prospect of Obama holding a nationally televised “town hall” event absent of John McCain was something that McCain couldn’t afford. John McCain flinched and flew to Mississippi even though a deal wasn’t close and he promised to stay in Washington until there was a deal.

That was strike one on John McCain.

 John McCain gambled that either Barack Obama would flinch and fly to Washington or that a deal would be reached quickly, voted on and passed in time for him to make the debate. The latter would make John McCain look like a leader and a doer. He would be able to take credit for helping to forge some kind of deal. After the Debate McCain flew back to Washington to rescue the deal that had fallen apart. A new deal was forged and voted on in the house where it failed. John McCain’s presence was obviously of no help.

 That is strike two on John McCain.

 So with the whole bailout in doubt where is John McCain today? On the campaign trail. Breaking his pledge to stay in Washington until a deal is reached. He has unsuspended his campaign during a time in which he said the bailout issue was more important than campaigning. This makes him look desperate and weak.

 Strike three.

 This gamble looks to have been a major blunder to me from John McCain. Barack Obama called his bluff and McCain folded twice. (Three times if you count the fact that McCain also promised to suspend political ads but never did). It started out looking like he could have hit a home run but in the end it fizzled.

 This decision now looks rash and ill thought out. I think it may be the final blow to John McCain presidential aspirations. McCain continues to fall in the polls and any (audacity of) hope that he has left lies in the hands of Sarah Palin and her upcoming debate with Joe Biden.

 Barack Obama’s campaign belives that because of their internal polls that Barack Obama may win in a landslide and if the trends continue I believe it could happen.

 Maybe John Mcain’s internal polls tell him the same thing and that is why he decided to swing for the fences with this move.

 Today there is no joy in Mudville, the mighty Casey has struck out.