Breaking News: McCain Temporarily Suspends Campaign

Senator John McCain has issued a statement that he has temporarily suspended his campaign to return to Washington to work on the current financial meltdown.

Senator Barack Obama has now issued a statement saying that he called McCain early this morning asking if he would join the campaigns to work together on this crisis.

The economy aside, the question is who made the first move? You know, I really don’t care. This is a game of one-upmanship that way too many will care about. My only concern is: what will be done about the economy? It’s in freefall right now and way too many people are going to be hurt.

So far, the “little” person, those of use who are working stiffs, were mostly concerned with the price of gas. That’s yesterday’s issue. Today I’m more concerned with will we be able to afford the price of bread tomorrow?

In actuality, I’m not too concerned about myself. I’ve got a job that isn’t going away and history has proven that when the economy takes a severe hit, crime goes up. I can pay my bills, the mortgage, and if the prices don’t skyrocket out of sight, I’ll be able to afford to buy gas and food. I think the pension I’ve been working toward is safe, but I’ll be keeping a wary eye on that. I may have to cut back on the “stuff” of life, but I personally will be all right.

But, I’m in a better position than a lot of people. Most people don’t have a job in an industry that gets “better” when crime goes up. Many people are living day-to-day, paycheck-to-paycheck. Some even living today on next weeks pay.

McCain feels that the economy bailout is such a huge, immediate problem that the campaign must stop and the economy be addressed. He’s right. The issue must be addressed, and McCain understands that. I think McCain realizes that the American citizen (read: voter) is angry that we’re bailing out yet another financial failure. It needs to be addressed, addressed now, and someone needs to show some leadership.

Obama sees that the issue can be addressed and the debates go on. Go to Washington, work on that issue, fly to Mississippi for the debate Friday night, then return to Washington after. The debate commission feels the same way. They want to see the debates go forward. Okay, that’s a way. It’s a compromise; something that Democrats are famous for. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Fox News commentators have suggested (probably among many) that the topic of the debate be changed from foreign policy to the economy. I think that’s a good compromise. It would show just which of the candidates have a handle on the problem and, even more importantly, what they propose to do about it.

The problem is, as candidates neither McCain nor Obama are in a position to do anything about the economic problems we face. As Senators both of them can do something substantial if they return to Washington and begin to work on it. As Senators, they have the power and authority to find a solution. As candidates, all they can do is talk about what they think should be done or what they would do.

The time for talk is over for now. Both senators should be on the way Washington so that they can be part of the process that is needed to work this out. McCain has said he is going to Washington. I know Obama is currently in Florida preparing for the debates and intends to be in Oxford Friday night. I haven’t heard whether his next stop is Washington or Oxford, Mississippi.

Who is showing leadership?