Just Another Thursday

Given the way that he's conducted the rest of his campaign, it's hardly a surprise that John McCain's announcement yesterday that he was suspending his campaign was nothing more than another lie. What could McCain have possibly been thinking? Was he hoping the Obama would take him up on his offer and really suspend his own campaign so that McCain would have all the attention to himself? Yes, I know it sounds stupid, but it's as viable a plan as anything anybody else has come up with.

His actual story, of course, that he needed to drop everything to rush back to Washington to help craft a bailout bill of some kind, seems far less believable. McCain did return to Washington, but he either didn't do much of anything or sabotaged the deal behind the scenes.

And where does that leave Friday night's debate? Common sense says that McCain would look like an idiot if he doesn't show up. But common sense also says that no one would seriously try to run for president of the United States with a campaign built on transparent and easily disproven lies. McCain and his campaign clearly have their own version of reality, and appears to be one in which voters are stupid and gullible. The candidate and his minions might be able to convince themselves that ducking out of the debate could be spun as decisive, mavericky leadership. Right now, I'd give the odds of McCain showing up to be about 50-50.