McCain Suspends Campaign, Engages in Political Blackmail

John McCain announced this afternoon that pending bipartisan agreement on the financial firm bailout deal, that he will suspend his campaign and will not participate in the debate in Oxford, MS on Friday, September 26, 2008. On Wednesday afternoon Senator McCain announced:

“I am calling on the President to convene a meeting with the leadership from both houses of Congress, including Senator Barack Obama and myself. It is time for both parties to come together to solve this problem."

Senator Barack Obama later stated that he had spoken with McCain earlier on the phone in an effort to release a statement from the both of them about their "shared principles in the approach to resolving the economic crisis." Obama did not agree, however, that the debate should be postponed.

"It's my belief that this is exactly the time when the American people need to hear from the person will be the next president," Obama said in Clearwater, Florida. "It is going to be part of the president's job to deal with more than one thing at once. It's more important than ever to present ourselves to the American people."

Obama also said,

"If I can be helpful, then I'm prepared to be anywhere, any time. ... [I] don't want to infuse Capitol Hill with presidential politics."

Of course if Obama and the Democratic Congress rolled over to GOP demands for a bailout deal, McCain would resume the campaign and appear at the debate on Friday evening.

The Obama campaign has said that the Democratic Nominee will be at the University of Mississippi to debate John McCain. The University of Mississippi will also continue preparations for the debate.

Will John McCain do the right thing and debate Barack Obama just when our nation need to hear from the two of them the most? We'll see...